Through the Bible #3: The Major Prophets

Hi Everyone!

Today, we are going to talk about Bible Prophecy, which makes up over 1/3 of the Bible, as it relates to the Prophetical Books of the Bible – especially the 16 Prophetical Books of the Old Testament – the 4 Major Prophets and the 12 Minor Prophets.  Most people in the world today, especially Christians, want to know what on earth is going on in the world; that everything is upside down!  Well, these questions can be found and answered in the Prophetical Books in our Bible.  Remember that Prophecy is history written in advance.

According to Dr. Chuck Missler, one of the key prophetical issues facing us today is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ Who is to rule and reign over Israel, as well as the world!  Here are the facts:  With regard to the Prophecies of His First Coming, there are over 1,845 verses in the Old Testament with 17 of these Books giving prominence to this Event.  With regard to the Prophecies of His Second Coming, there are 318 verses in the New Testament with 23 out of the 27 Books giving prominence to this Event.  And based on the events happening in the world today, Jesus should be returning very soon!

When I personally think about Jesus’ Return, there’s a couple of verses in the Old Testament, Hosea 6:1-2, which make me wonder just how close we really are to this Event.  Hosea 6:1-2 state, “In their affliction they will seek Me early, saying, Come, let us return to the Lord our God, for it is He Who hath torn and He can heal us.  He can smite, and into our wounds He can pour balm; in two days He can restore us to health; on the third day we shall be raised up and live before Him.”  So, in two days we will be healed and on the third day, we will be raised up, which means resurrected/raptured and live before Him.

You’re probably wondering, “Why do I think this?”

Well, the Aramaic Version of Second Peter 3:8-9 states, “And of this one thing, my beloved, be not forgetful: That one day to Master YAHWEH, is as a thousand years; and a thousand years, as one day.  Master YAHWEH does not delay His promises as some estimate delay; but He is long suffering for your sakes, being not willing that any should perish, but that everyone should come to repentance.”

Jesus Christ confirms this in Revelation 22:12 wherein He states, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with Me to recompense everyone according to his work.”

So, what are two days according to Second Peter Chapter 3, Verse 8?  If one day is 1,000 years, then two days would be 2,000 years.

Most scholars believe that Jesus was crucified on the Feast of Passover, buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and raised on the Feast of First Fruits and ascended into the Heavens in either the year 30 A.D., 31 A.D., 32 A.D., or 33 A.D.  So, IF we were to add 2,000 years to the years of 30 to 33 A.D., just how close do you think we are?  This is 2024…IF the clock is ticking down, and

IF this be true, how then should we be living?

First Peter 1:13-16 answers this question, “Therefore prepare your minds for action, be self-disciplined, and set your hope fully on the grace which is going to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Messiah.  As obedient children, do not follow your former lusts which you had when you were in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your behavior; because it is written, ‘You are to be holy; for I am holy.’”

First John 1:9 also answers this question, “IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And with whom does YAHWEH’s judgment start?

According to the Aramaic Version of First Peter 4:17-19, “For it is the time when judgment will commence with the house of Elohim: and if it commences with us, what will be the end of those who obey not the Good News of Elohim?  And if the righteous scarcely lives, where will those who are against Elohim and the sinner be found?  Wherefore, let them who suffer according to the pleasure of Elohim commend their souls to Him in well doing as to a faithful Creator.”

We need to be mindful of His Second Coming and recognize this Event when It happens and not be like the Scribes, the Pharisees, and the Saducees, (the religious elite of their day), who did not recognize the First Coming of Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Messiah.  I know that every generation has made predictions with regard to this Event; however, we need to obey Jesus’ Command in Mark 13:37 to “Watch!”  Why?  Because Jesus commands us in Luke 12:40 to, “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not.”

But before this Great Event happens, there are many other prophecies in the Old Testament that need to be fulfilled with regard to:

The regathering of Israel as a whole;

          The House of Israel;

          The House of Judah;

          The Davidic Throne; and

          The Peoples, Nations and/or Empires with regard to their interactions with Israel.

We find that in the Old Testament, YAHWEH sent 16 different prophets to both the Houses of Israel and Judah, warning them to repent of their sins and return to Him, but to no avail.

These prophets can be assigned to different periods in Israel’s history:  The Pre-Assyrian prophets who prophesied to the House of Israel were Joel, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah, and the Pre-Babylonian Prophets who prophesied to the House of Judah were Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah.  Those Prophets who preached to the Restored Nation of Judah were Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

You will note that in our Bibles, these Prophetical Books are divided into two groups:  The four Major Prophets which are Isaiah, Jeremiah with Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel, and the 12 Minor Prophets which are, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  The only reason that they are referred to as the Major Prophets is because of the lengths of the Books.

These were the topics of the Prophets:

1. The holiness of YAHWEH.
2. The sin and failure of YAHWEH’s chosen people.
3. A call to repentance.
4. YAHWEH’s judgment on them if they would not repent.
5. YAHWEH’s judgment on the surrounding nations.
6. The return of part of the nation from captivity.
7. The First Coming of the Messiah and His rejection.
8. The Second Coming of the Messiah in power and great glory.
9. The restoration of YAHWEH’s chosen people.
10. Christ’s universal reign.

These 10 topics further fall under three major themes as a whole:

Prophecies with regard to their own times, including warnings of coming judgments to the people that they were addressing.  For example, the Prophets mainly addressed:

1. Israel which referred to the Northern 10-Tribed Kingdom.  It also referred to the entire nation as a whole – all of whom were descendants of Abraham.
2. Judah referred to the Southern 2-Tribed Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin.
3. Ephraim is used, especially in Hosea, to describe the Northern 10-Tribed Kingdom.  The House of Joseph also referred to this same kingdom.
4. Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom.
5. Jerusalem was the capital of the Southern Kingdom.
6. Ninevah was the capital of Assyria.
7. Babylon was the capital of Babylonia.
8. Damascus was the chief city-state of Syria.

Prophecies with regard to the First Advent (Coming) of Jesus Christ; and

Prophecies with regard to the Second Advent (Coming) of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, several elements often characterize the relationships between YAHWEH, the prophets, and their hearers:

(1)     The authority of YAHWEH over both the prophets and their audiences;

          (2)     The obedience of the prophets, though sometimes with initial protest;

          (3)     The authority of the prophets as representatives of the sovereign God;

          (4)     The requirement of the audience to choose covenant obedience or disobedience; and

          (5)     The report of the prophet back to YAHWEH in the form of prayer.

Because YAHWEH is Holy and Just, He judged both the House of Israel and the House of Judah for their sins against Him according to His LAW, which can be found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.  As such, He divorced the House of Israel and sent them into captivity and ultimately dispersed by the Assyrian Empire from 745 B.C. to 676 B.C. never to return to the land again; while He sent the House of Judah into Captivity by the Babylonian Empire for 70 years (606 B.C. to 586 B.C. under King Nebuchadnezzar), allowing only a small remnant (42,000+) of Judahites to return to the land in 536 B.C.

So, today we will be discussing the four Major Prophets as we find them in our Bibles:  Isaiah, Jeremiah with Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel.

Isaiah, whose name means “YAHWEH is Salvation,” was a prophet to the House of Judah from 740 to 690 B.C., which included the reigns of five Kings of Judah:  Azzariah/Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh.  According to the Talmud, King Manasseh, one of the wickedest Kings of Judah who reigned for 55 years, had Isaiah sawn in half.  He died a very horrible death, as did most of the prophets of YAHWEH.

The Book of Isaiah is divided into three parts:

(1)     The Prophecies of Condemnation (Chapters 1:1 through 35:10); include prophecies against Judah, Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Damascus and Samaria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Babylon, Edom, Arabia, Jerusalem, Tyre, and All the Earth.  This section also includes prophecies of The Day of the LORD and other prophecies of judgment and blessing.

          (2)     The Historical Parenthesis (Chapters 36:1 through 39:8); consists of King Hezekiah’s salvation from Assyria, his salvation from sickness, and his sin.

          (3)     The Prophecies of Comfort (Chapters 40:1 through 66:24) include the prophecies of Israel’s deliverance, Israel’s Deliverer (Jesus Christ), and Israel’s glorious future.

The First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ can be found in Isaiah 61:1-2 which state, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for the business for which He anointed Me.  He hath sent Me to publish glad tidings to the poor, to heal them who are broken hearted; to proclaim a deliverance to captives, and a recovery of sight to the blind: to proclaim an acceptable year of the LORD and a day of retribution.”

In Luke 4:18-21, Jesus Christ was in the synagogue on the sabbath day and quoted directly from Isaiah 61:1-2a which states, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  And He closed the Book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down.  And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.  And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”  You will note that Jesus did NOT read the rest of Isaiah 61:2, which states, “and a day of retribution.”  Jesus Christ told them what Isaiah had prophesied of His First Coming in Isaiah 61:1-2a.  When He returns a Second Time, He will fulfill Isaiah 61:2b – The Day of The LORD as prophesied by the prophets.

Jeremiah, whose name means “YAHWEH Lifts Up or Establishes,” was a prophet to the House of Judah from 627-562 B.C., which included the reign of the last King of Judah, Zedekiah.  The Book of Jeremiah can be divided into four sections:

(1)     The Call of Jeremiah (Chapter 1:1 through 19);

          (2)     The Prophecies to Judah (Chapters 2:1-45:5), which included the condemnation of Judah, the conflicts of Jeremiah, the future restoration of Jerusalem, and the present fall of Jerusalem.

          (3)     The Prophecies to the Nations (46:1 through 51:64) which included prophecies against Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, Elam, and Babylon.

          (4)     The Fall of Jerusalem (Chapter 52:1-34) which includes the capture and destruction of Jerusalem; the exile to Babylon, and liberation of Jehoiachin.

Jeremiah’s commission by YAHWEH is clearly stated in Chapter 1:10 which states, “Behold I have this day set thee over nations and over kingdoms (1) to root out and (2) demolish and (3) destroy; and (4) to rebuild and (5) plant.”

Most Christians today only think about the first three commands, but they don’t think about the last two…So, where did Jeremiah go in order to rebuild and to plant?  Who did he escape with?  Where is the Davidic Throne today?  For answers to those questions, you will have to study secular historical records, and you just might be surprised by what you find…I will tell you this – Jeremiah did not die a horrible death as the other prophets did.

Lamentations is a funeral dirge written by Jeremiah in which he mourns the capture and captivity of the House of Judah by the Babylonians.  There are 5 chapters in this Book which consist of five mournful poems which can be entitled:

(1)     The destruction of Jerusalem;

          (2)     The anger of YAHWEH;

          (3)     The prayer for mercy;

          (4)     The siege of Jerusalem; and

          (5)     The prayer for restoration.

and there are 5 key words which summarize Lamentations:

Fact:           Judah is gone into captivity

Sorrow:      Mine eyes do fail with tears.

Hope:          His (YAHWEH) compassions fail not.  They are new every morning.  The LORD will not cast off forever.

Prophecy:   The iniquities of her priests have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her (Jerusalem).

Faith:          Thou, O LORD remainest forever: Thy throne from generation to generation.

Jeremiah was ultimately known as the weeping prophet because he cared so much for his people and his country while YAHWEH was judging them for their sins from which they did not turn, even at the behest of Jeremiah.

Ezekiel, whose name means “May God Strengthen,” was a priest in Israel, who prophesied to the House of Judah before it fell, and also while he was a fellow captive with them.  The Book of Ezekiel can be divided into five sections:

1. The Call and Commission of Ezekiel (Chapters 1:1 through 3:27) in which Ezekiel sees the Glory of God and is commissioned to the Word of God.
2. The Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem Depicted (Chapters 4:1 through 24:27) includes the four signs of coming judgment; the two messages of coming judgment; the four-part vision of coming judgment; and the signs, parables, and messages of judgment.
3. The Judgment on the Nations (Chapters 25:1 through 32:32), includes judgment on Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, Sidon, and Egypt; and
4. Israel’s Restoration and the Punishment of Her Foes (Chapters 33:1 through 39:29) which includes the future return to the land and the restoration of Israel in the Kingdom.
5. Millennial Scenes (Chapters 40:1-48:35), which includes The Millennial Temple in Jerusalem, Its Worship, Its Administration, and The Millennial Land.

As a side note, most 19TH and 20TH Century scholars believed that Ezekiel 38 and 39, the War of Gog and Magog, prophesied World War 3, the war to end all wars.  Because, in Chapter 39:7, YAHWEH states, “And My Holy Name shall be known in the midst of My people Israel; and My name which is Holy SHALL NO MORE BE PROFANED; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.”  The phrase, “shall no more be profaned,” means that man will NO LONGER PROFANE the name of YAHWEH.

Daniel, whose name means “God Is My Judge,” and his three friends, Hananiah (YAHWEH Has Been Gracious), Mishael (Who Is What God Is), and Azariah (The LORD Has Helped), were of the royal line of Judah through Zedekiah, and had been taken captive in Babylon.  While in Babylon, the Babylonians changed their names from Daniel to Belteshazzar, Hananiah to Shadrach, Mishael to Meshach, and Azariah to Abed-Nego, and they were taught in all the ways of the Babylonians.  However, YAHWEH had compassion and showed favor to Daniel and his friends.

Daniel is one of only two people in the Bible which are referred to as “beloved” – the other one is John.  As such, both were shown prophetic visions of our future and the end times.  Daniel is the author of the Book of Daniel, despite what critics say, and John wrote The Revelation of Jesus Christ – both apocalyptic Books, dealing with End Time Visions and Events.

The Book of Daniel is the only Book written in both Hebrew and Aramaic.  Daniel 1:1 through 2:3 and 8:1 through 12:13 were written in Hebrew and dealt with the history of Daniel and the prophetic plan of Israel, while Daniel 2:4 through 7:28 were written in Aramaic and dealt with prophetic plan for the Nations.

The Book of Daniel is divided into three parts:

  (1)     The Personal History of Daniel (Chapter 1:1 through 2:1) includes Daniel’s deportation to Babylon, and his faithfulness and reputation in Babylon.

          (2)     The Prophetic Plan for the Nations (Chapters 2:1 through 7:28) includes King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great image, Nebuchadnezzar’s image of gold, Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of a great tree, King Belshazzar and the handwriting on the wall, King Darius’s foolish decree (Daniel in the lions’ den), and Daniel’s vision of the four beasts.

          (3)     The Prophetic Plan for Israel (Chapters 8:1 through 12:13) includes Daniel’s vision of the ram and the male goat, Daniel’s vision of the Seventy Weeks, and Daniel’s vision of Israel’s future.

Perhaps, the most controversial prophecy in the whole Bible comes from Daniel 9:24-27, which is the Prophecy of the 70 Weeks.  IF you get this wrong, you get your Eschatology wrong.  Most Christians are taught that there is a 70TH Week of Daniel yet to happen in the distant future, called the Tribulation, with the Anti-Christ making a Covenant with Israel.  However, according to the Septuagint Version, Daniel 9:24-27 is one continuous prophecy of 490 weeks, and it is Jesus Christ, Our Messiah, who makes The New Covenant with Israel.

Let’s read Daniel 9:24:

“Seventy weeks are set apart for thy people and for the holy city; (1) for finishing sin offerings; and (2) for sealing up sin offerings; and (3) blotting out iniquities, and (4) making atonement for iniquities; and (5) for bringing in an everlasting righteousness; and (6) for sealing vision and prophet; and (7) for anointing the Holy of Holies.

So, there are 490 weeks set apart for Daniel’s people, The House of Judah, and for the holy city, Jerusalem, for seven things for their Messiah to accomplish when He comes.  And Jesus fulfilled all seven requirements.  You will note that there are 7, which is the number of completion in the Bible, not 6 as are in the Masoretic Text.  The one that is not in the Masoretic Text is #4 – making atonement for iniquities – Jesus Christ was the once and for all perfect sacrifice for their sins, thus making atonement for their iniquities.

Daniel 9:25 states:

“Therefore, thou art to know and understand, that from the going forth of a word for returning an answer and for building Jerusalem until an Anointed ruler are seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks.  They shall indeed return, and a street shall be built and a wall, and these times shall be emptied out,”

In Ezra 7:11-13, Artaxerxes Longimaus gave Ezra a decree in 458 B.C.  Add 49 years (7 times 7) to this and you come to 409 B.C.  Add 434 years (62 times 7) to this and you come to 26 A.D. when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan.  So, if Jesus were born during the Fall Feast of Tabernacles, 4 B.C., then that would have made Him 30 years old when He started His Ministry.

Daniel 9:26 states:

“and after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah shall be cut off, though there is no crime in Him; and He, with the ruler who is coming, will destroy the city and the sanctuary.  They shall be destroyed with a deluge, and even to the end of the war determined on in course, with desolations.”

So, after 3 ½ years of ministry, Jesus Christ was crucified – He was cut off having done nothing wrong, and in 70 A.D., The Messiah with Titus Vespasian, the son of Roman Emperor Vespasian, destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple Sacrificial System, once and for all.

Daniel 9:27 states:

“Now one week shall confirm a Covenant for many and in the half of that week My sacrifice and libation shall be taken away.  And upon the temple shall be an abomination of the desolations, and at the end of a time, an end shall be put to that desolation.”

Here we have what most scholars call the 70^TH Week of Daniel that they put off in the somewhat distant yet to happen future.  However, they are wrong.  According to Verse 27, The New Covenant for “Many” was confirmed and halfway through that week, YAHWEH’s sacrificial and libation system was completed and fulfilled by the once and for all perfect blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ at Calvary in 30 A.D.  Add to this the other half of the week (3 ½ Years) and you come to the stoning of Stephen in 33 A.D. – the completion of Daniel’s 70TH Week.   As you can see, all 490 years of Daniel 9:24-27 have been fulfilled already.

The number 40 in the Bible represents a period of probation, trial, and/or chastisement.  YAHWEH gave the “Jews” 40 years to repent, which, of course, they did not.  So, 40 years after the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ in 70 A.D., we see the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple Sacrificial System.  Forty years from the end of the 70TH Week of Daniel – 73 A.D., we see the destruction of Masada.  The complete destruction of the Nation of Israel, Its Temple Sacrificial System, and Masada, once and for all, never to return!

Now, what is an abomination to YAHWEH?  It is anything that is idolatrous and should not exist.

While Daniel was able to interpret many visions and dreams with YAHWEH’s help, I believe that the main purpose of Daniel was and is to show us Christians today how to live in Babylon.  You see, we are living in the last great empire of the world known as MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, as foretold by John in Revelation 17 and 18.  Most Christians do not know and/or do not want to believe the times in which we live.  That’s why the Bible is our guide for the future, and according to Acts 17:11, we must “receive the Word with all readiness of mind, and search the Scriptures daily, (to see) whether those things are so.”

For us Christians today, Daniel is the perfect example for those of us living in the Mystery Babylonian System of the 21st Century.  Daniel did three main things: (1) He refused to disobey YAHWEH’s Laws and (2) He sought counsel from YAHWEH in all things, and (3) he prayed no matter what.

For example, Daniel 1:8 states, “And Daniel having RESOLVED NOT TO POLLUTE himself with the table of the king nor with the wine which he drank, entreated the chamberlain that he might not be defiled.”  Daniel chose to obey the Food Laws of YAHWEH as found in the Book of Leviticus.

Throughout this Book, we find that Daniel is a fervent man of prayer.  He always prayed to the “God of Heaven” no matter what the consequences were.  Because of his praying, Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, but YAHWEH protected Daniel throughout his ordeal.

We, too, can pray to YAHWEH in our time of need and know for sure that He will protect us.  Most Christians forget that “salvation” is physical in nature, not just spiritual.  Yes, we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ unto eternal life, but we can be physically saved on this earth, while we are here, if we only pray!  We may have to go through some tough times, but Jesus promises us in Matthew 28:20b, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.”  He will always be with us in Spirit and in Truth!

YAHWEH Bless!

Justin