Well, tonight, as you can see in the notes, we are on to the part 14, which is the prophetic books. You'll remember way back into lesson 1 that we had 17 Old Testament books. The first 17, they were historical books. Then we had, as we looked at last Thursday night, we had the 5 poetical books. And now, tonight, we have the final 17 in the Old Testament, making up our 39 books. And they are the prophetic books. Prophecy gets a grip on us like nothing else. We're often mesmerized and we're spellbound whenever we hear there's going to be a preaching session on the topic of prophecy. What does the future hold? Now this question grabs us by the collar, throws us up against the wall, seems to put its thumbs into our jugular and it holds us there for an answer. Some of mine today look into crystal balls or they read tea leaves or they study astrological charts and they consult prophets just to get a little glimpse into the future, into what is currently unknown. From, when will the world end? To, what should I wear tomorrow? People hunger to probe into the depths of all of the things that have not yet happened. There is this intuitive sense that A veil hangs between the human and the divine, and that these prophets, or these seers, or these foretellers, we only need to go to them, they will help us to peer beyond the veil. Outside of the Bible however, prophets have had a very uneven track record. For example, and I'll give you two examples here, Crosius lived in the 6th century BC, was king of Lydian in Asia Minor. Now he was deliberating whether to attack the Persian Empire or not, and he went along to the Oracle of Delphi and asked if his undertaking would prosper. The Oracle replied that if you go to war, you will destroy a great empire. So he was encouraged, and Protius invaded the Persian realms. He found himself to be decisively beaten. The Persians then came and invaded Lydian. They captured its capital and they overthrew Croesus himself and they put him into chains. Croesus again sends an embassy to Delphi and this time he is rather annoyed because they told him that an overthrow of an empire would take place and he comes with the question, why did you deceive me? The priestess of the oracle replied that she had not deceived him at all. Crotius had indeed destroyed a great empire by going to battle. It just so happened that great empire he destroyed was his own. Girolamo Cardano was an Italian mathematician back in the 16th century. He was known throughout Europe as an astrologer. He visited England on occasion to cast the horoscope of the young king Edward VI. Steadfast believer in the accuracy of his so-called science, Cardano constructed a horoscope predicting the hour of his own death. Now when the day of his own death dawned, it found Cardano in good health. He was utterly safe from harm, no reason to believe that he was going to die. But rather than have his prediction filmed, Cardano killed himself. Biblical prophets find themselves in an entirely different league to these run-of-the-mill so-called and self-styled prophets. If a man in the Bible was a true prophet and he came from God, then no prediction that he made would ever fail. And we find that in 1 Samuel 3 in the verse 19. If a prophet ever voiced a prophecy that failed, he was to be stoned to death. Now you can imagine if he was going to be stoned to death for making a false prophecy, well that would discourage the impostors. And it would make the biblical prophets very highly reliable. There were many true prophets in the Old Testament, but not all of them committed their messages to writings that were later preserved. But in the Bible we have 16 men who wrote down their messages. The writings are called the prophetical books. and they comprise the final 17 books of the Old Testament. We say 16 prophets, we have 17 books because one of those prophets wrote two books, that's Jeremiah, and he wrote not only the prophecy that bears his name, Jeremiah, but also the book of Lamentations. So we're coming tonight to the prophetical books, stretching from Isaiah right through to the final prophet Malachi. We have a review. Now you know by this stage that our history section is completed. We have gone from Genesis, the first historical book, through to Nehemiah, the last historical book, and we have stretched out on the way a timeline that has told the story of ancient Israel. Then last Wednesday evening we came and we put the poetical books into their proper positions and we dotted them along this timeline as to where they would fit in in history. Now tonight it's time to do the same with the prophetical books. Where do they fit in? Well, you'll see in the bar chart there on page 3 that you've got the 11 main historical books and then you've six other secondary historical books, Genesis through Nehemiah, and then the secondary ones, Leviticus through Esther, and we are fitting in here, the bottom bars, we're fitting in the prophetical books where they occur in the Old Testament history timeline. Most of the prophetical books, that's Isaiah, through to Zephaniah, would have been written during the time that is covered, as you can see there in the chart, covered in the book of 2 Kings. Now this period, 2 Kings, records the decline of the nation. In fact, the nation is doing a real nosedive here. 2 Kings 14.25, 2 Kings 20.1 and following will give you how clearly this nation is going downward. Now the primary message of the prophets as they came one by one and they stood and they gave their message to the nation, they were telling the people stop sinning and return to the Lord. They predicted what would happen to the nation if the people did not heed the war. Now of these remaining books Two prophets, Ezekiel and Daniel ministered during the captivity or the exile period. Then we have three prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi that ministered during the return whenever the people of Judah came back from their exile in the land of Babylon. What about an overview summary that will tell us really where we are tonight in the kind of subject matter that we're dealing with. We have it in the box, bottom of page 3. Prophecy is proclaiming the word of God both for the future and in the present. And to expand on that storyline, there are four main features of these prophetical writings that we're going to consider tonight. We have first of all, and briefly, a designation. Then we have the time period in which the prophets were operating. Then we have their ministry and that they were foretelling. And also the other part of their ministry, the most common part, they were forth telling. So number one, designation. By designation we mean were they major prophets? or are they known as the Minor Prophets and whenever we come to the Word of God we know there are Major and also Minor Prophets so called in there. The Major Prophets are the first five prophetical books. We have Isaiah there, we have Jeremiah, we have Lamentations, we have Ezekiel and we have Daniel and they are the Major Prophets. But then we have the Minor Prophets there, the remaining twelve. The Major Prophets are called Major because simply they are longer books. The others are called minor because they are shorter writings than the major prophet. Now neither designation, either major or minor, reflects upon the importance of the writing. Doesn't mean when we talk about a major prophet he had a more important message than the minor prophet, just means that he spoke longer, and he wrote longer, and he is therefore a more major book in terms of length. but not in terms of importance of message. So that's a designation, major and minor prophets. Then we think, secondly, about the time period. Did the prophet, for example, bring his message before the exile, pre-exile? Did he preach during the period when Judah was in captivity, those 70 years up in Babylon? Or was he a prophet that preached to the people who proclaimed the message when they came back from their captivity and therefore he was a post-exilic prophet? So we have these prophetical books, 17 of them, divided into three chronological periods, pre-exile, exile, and post-exile. And you'll find as you discover the messages here that most of the prophetical ministries of these 16 prophets and of their 17 books, most of them occur before the exile. Three prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, are the ones who prophesied during the return. Of those who prophesied before the exile, we have two of them that are prophesying to the northern kingdom of Israel, seven primarily are prophesying to Judah, the southern kingdom, and three are lifting up the voice and proclaiming their message to other countries, and you'll find all of that on the table that's provided in the notes. On page 5, structure of the prophetical books. We have the prophets before the exile. Who is speaking to Israel? Amos and Hosea. Who is talking to Judah before they are carried away into captivity in Babylon? We have Jolan, Isaiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Lamentations. Who is lifting up the voice? to Assyrium, other countries, we have Jonah doing that, we have Nahum doing that, and another prophet, the third one that was talking to other countries outside of Israel and Judah was Obadiah, whose message was addressed to Edom. Now we have the Jews in captivity. They're in Babylon. What prophets have they that are writing books? Well, we have two. Daniel is one. Ezekiel is the other. Then they come back out of their Babylonian captivity after 70 years. What prophets have we then ministering in Jerusalem and their abodes? We have Haggai. We have Zechariah. And we have Malachi. And they are lifting up their voice on behalf of the remnant that are now in Jerusalem. So it's important to know where these Hebrew prophets fit in on the Old Testament timeline. It has been said if we are to understand the prophets we must know something of the age in which they lived and the problems which had to be solved. Much of the teaching of the prophets arose out of the needs of their times, as the teaching of the apostles had its rise in the needs of the different churches to which they wrote. We've looked at designation, major and minor prophets. Time period, did they prophesy before the exile, during the exile, or after the exile? Now we look at thirdly, foretelling, that is predicting the future. If I was to say, well, what is the most common, what is the most important function of a prophet? A lot of people would say, well, the most important function, the most famous characteristic of a prophet is that he's looking down the tunnel of time, way into the future, and he's telling you what is going to take place. Now this was never an ability the prophet had within himself. This, whenever he spoke of information related to the future, it was information given to him by God. In Israel, the test of a true prophet is that he always must be 100% accurate. If a prophet ever said anything and it didn't come true, then the people could band together and say, as he pointed the finger of that man, he is not a prophet from God, for he has spoken lies in the name of the Lord. And as we've said, the penalty for giving a prophecy that did not come true is death by stoning. You can check it out in Deuteronomy chapter 13. And that ensured that the ranks of the prophets were predominantly kept pure. So we have this function of foretelling, predicting the future, but then there's also foretelling, that is, proclaiming the teachings of God. While the ministry of foretelling, telling the future, is more dramatic, tends to appeal to a lot more people, tends to generate an audience, draws a crowd, the ministry of foretelling is vastly more common in the life of a prophet. Foretelling simply means proclaiming the teachings of God unto the people. Primarily, it related to telling the people how to live right. And there were three characteristics of this part of a prophet's ministry. He would expose sin and call the people to the life of righteousness. He would warn of judgment if the people didn't mend their ways and reform. He would proclaim the coming of the Messiah, the Jesus, the Christ who would yet appear. Now these prophets usually warned about judgments. that would involve the nation of Israel or Judah and that nation would be militarily conquered and taken out of their lands and carried away into captivity and we've seen in the history books just how that occurred. But now we come to the main part of the message tonight I suppose, the prophets and their messages and I'm going to try and move really quickly because in the notes here we've got a summary of all 17 prophetical books. So the first one is the book of Joel. He's prophet number one. Where is he teaching? It's down in the southern kingdom. It's Judah. Where is he bringing his message? It's before the exile. He is a pre-exilic prophet and it's in the pre-Assyrian period. Now if we are right in supposing that Joel prophesied sometime around the reign of Jehoash, then he was the first of the 16 written prophecies. Nothing is known about the prophet himself further than what is stated in Joel chapter 1 verse 1. But we know that his name means Jehovah is God and it summarizes what this book is all about. The sphere of his ministry is equally obscure. Buggs generally agreed that he ministered in Judah and most probably in the capital city of Jerusalem. The prophet makes much of a locust invasion. And he talks about the caterpillar and he talks about the hammer worm. These are features of the prophecy of Joel. And this locust invasion had left the land desolate and it was an occasion that the prophet used to call upon the people to repentance because of their many sins. He says this invasion of locusts is just the forerunner of another, a more awful visitation, the day of the Lord that is to come. On the other hand, Joe tells the people that if they will repent, the Lord will restore to them the wasted years. We've heard messages on, the Lord will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten and He will fill their cup with blessing. That is the message of Joe. He talks about the day of the Lord on five occasions. chapter 1 verse 15, chapter 2 verse 1, verse 11 verse 31, and chapter 3 in the verse 14. This day of the Lord refers to that future time when the Lord will pour out His wrath upon the Gentile nations because of their sins against the Jews. Joel 3 the verses 1 to 8. And that day of the Lord will culminate reach its conclusion in the final battle of the ages around Jerusalem and in the Lord's return to earth when he comes back to defeat his enemies and set up his kingdom. Revelation chapter 6 through to Revelation chapter 19 is the territory that Joel is arcing forwards into here. Now for an outline of the book of John, we would have number 1, the proclamation of the day of the Lord, chapter 1, verses 1 to 20. He's addressing the old men in chapter 1, verses 1 to 4, the drunkards in chapter 1, 5 to 7, the worshippers in chapter 1, verses 8 to 10, the farmers in 1, verses 11 and 12, the priests in 13 and 14, and he talks about the dreadfulness of their visitation. The proclamation of the day of the Lord. Then he talks about the preparation for the day of the Lord. In chapter 2, verse 1-27, when he blows that trumpet for the second time, in chapter 2, verses 12-17, he is calling on the people, you need to fast, you need to pray, you need to confess your sins. And he tells them that faith in Jehovah. will answer and drive out the army of the locusts, and blessing will be restored again." Chapter 2, verses 18-27. And thirdly, in our outline of Joel, we have prophecies regarding the day of the Lord. Joel 2, verse 28 through to chapter 3, and to verse 21, we are dealing with time yet future in this period of the book, and we are told the Spirit of the Lord will be poured out before that day. Chapter 2, verse 28 to verse 32. And this is something that Peter, when he preached on the day of Pentecost, referred to. Acts 2, verses 16 to 21. And it's going to be fully fulfilled in the last day. He also in the section of the book talks about judgment being poured out during that day, chapter 3 verse 1 to 17. All the nations that rise up and assemble and come in a confederacy against Jerusalem will be threshed as Christ defends His land and His people and His holy city Jerusalem. Also we are told that blessing will be poured out after that day, chapter 3, verses 18-21. The prophecy is now pointing forward to the time yet future, when the Holy Ghost will be poured out upon all flesh, when all of Israel's enemies will be overthrown, and when Jerusalem will be appraised in the earth. That's the book of Jonah. Then we come to prophet number 2, who is Jonah. He's preaching up there in the Northern Kingdom. Again, it's before that kingdom is pulled away into exile. It's during the Assyrian period. And we can find that time rather clearly fixed by the reference we have to Juna in the book of 2 Kings chapter 14 and verse 25. People here in Israel reached the highest peak of their material prosperity in the reign of Jeroboam II. And we can read the book of Jonah in conjunction with Nahum and in conjunction with 2 Kings chapter 14. Now in the prophecy of Jonah, there is no trace of Jonah's prophecies to Israel in fact. We are only left with a fragment of his ministry And it's more the history of a prophecy than an actual prophecy itself. And the history is that God is going to rise up and judge Nineveh. So Jonah's sent out to preach against the sins of Nineveh. He's calling that outside nation to repentance. And we know why he hesitated, how he finally went, what he said, the effect it had, the response that he got, Jehovah's controversy within. And we're told it in vivid language in the book of Jonah. But that he did prophesy, we can check out in 2 Kings 14 verses 25 and 26. So if we want an outline of the book of Jonah, then we have 1. Rebellion. A lesson about God's patience, that's chapter 1. Instead of going to Nineveh, as he was instructed, Jonah flees in the opposite direction. The causes, the course, the consequences of his backsliding, they're all dealt with in this opening chapter. Then chapter 2. We have repentance, a lesson about God's power. He's first of all chastened under the loving hand of God. He's convicted of the sins, cleansed from them, and given, thank God, another chance. Then chapter 3 is all about revival, a lesson about God's power. The key word in chapter 3 is great. Jonah came to a great city with a great commission, and he witnessed a great change. Then it invites her once her from one preacher. And that sermon emphasised the wrath, not the love of God. And yet they repented and they were forgiven by that sovereignty, God's sovereignty in action. How many sermons we preach to how many souls about the love and about the mercy and about the grace and also about the wrath of God, and still they sit there unmoved, unchanged. Then in chapter 4 we've got the fourth point, that is Remonstrance, a lesson about God's pity. Whenever there is a revival in the world, we don't meet up with a rejoicing preacher. That's strange. We pray for a revival in our day. We preach about its necessity. And we would like to believe that if it came, we would be rejoicing, but when it came here, in the days of Jonah, and Nineveh repented and there was revival here, we meet a man not rejoicing, but one remonstrating with God, arguing with Him, hoping that God's judgment would fall upon the people. Now this is a matter of amusement. God sent revival. under the preaching of a man who did not even love the souls of the people he preached to. Surely this is another instance of God's sovereignty. Now we come to prophet number three, who was Amos. Ministering in the northern kingdom before the exile, again the Assyrian period. Amos therefore would have been living at the same time as Jonah. Might have known Joel as well. The prosperity that was enjoyed in the reign of Jeroboam II was not universal. Decline went side by side with this material advance, spiritual decline. And this unschooled farmer, this herdsman from Tekoa called Emos, he goes out there and he lifts up his voice against the iniquity of the tame. Emos is not a prophet in the professional sense. His father was not a prophet. He himself did not attend one of the prophetic schools in Israel as he tells us in chapter 7 verses 10-17. But he is God's man with God's message for that moment. And in warning of coming judgment he mentions captivity in chapter 5 verse 5. 5, 27, 6, 7, 7, 9, 17. He is giving a warning here about captivity. And that warning was fulfilled within 25 years. We say here that his vision is comprehensive. He provides us judgment. First of all, upon the nations surrounding Israel. and then with directness he looks at Israel herself and he announces judgement upon it. He foretells the Assyrian captivity and he tells the people about the only means there would be of escape. But beyond the darkness of his own day he sees the rising millennium kingdom and the oncoming of the day of universal blessing. An outline for the Book of Amos Well, the Prophet looks around, chapters 1 and 2, pronounces judgments on the nations around Israel, Syria, Philistia, Phoenicia, Edom, Ammon and Judah. Then the Prophet looks within, chapters 3 to 6. And although Israel is enjoying a time of peace and prosperity and apparent religious revival, the man of God looks beyond the outward appearance and he detects the state of the heart. In these chapters, 3-6 in Amos, he brings out three sermons. And each one of them is prefaced by the words, Hear this word. Chapter 3, verse 1, a message of explanation. Chapter 4, verse 1, a message of accusation. Chapter 5, verse 1, a message of lamentation. And having looked around and looked within, the prophet now looks ahead in chapter 7 through to chapter 9. He records five visions. They give Amos an insight into what God is going to do to the nation. The vision of Locusts, chapter 7, verses 1-3. Of fire, chapter 7, verses 4-6. Of the plumb line, chapter 7, verses 7-9. Of the summer fruit, chapter 8, verses 1-14. And then the vision of the altar, in chapter 9, verses 1-10. So here Amos sees the Lord Himself acting in judgment against the insincere worship that God had been receiving. But the prophecy doesn't end in the doldrums. Rather it ends on a note of victory. Chapter 9 verses 11 to 15. There is a promise of future restoration and this is quoted over in the book of Acts. Chapter 15 verses 14 to 18 at the first church council. Then we come to Hosea. Prophet number 4. He is ministering in the northern kingdom. And he's a pre-exilic prophet, so before the exile again, Hosea is preaching, and it's during the Assyrian period. Now I'll be editing this from the notes, but I would severely wish that somebody would go out with a shotgun and shoot that cat that's annoying that blackbird, because that blackbird is going to keep on cheeping right to the end of this message. He's just cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep the whole way. So no doubt if he went out there, a stupid old muggle would be down at the bottom of the bush, breathing and spitting at the blackbird. And if it was in my garden, the dog would be out and there'd be no more cat. But that's just by the way. Right, we'll end all of this out so that any cat lover out there is not going to be terribly offended. So don't panic about that. Hosea. Let's not get sidetracked. Hosea 1 and 1 makes it clear here that this prophet had a message for the northern king. And it corresponded with the Aureans of Uzziah, Jotun, Ahaz and Hezekiah who were kings down in the southern kingdom. Now, we can calculate from this that Hosea prophesied for about 75 years, and that was a longer period, probably, than any other prophet. So here's a prophet whose ministry extends for a long time, about 75 years. three quarters of a century. He was living alongside Jonah and Amos, lived to see Israel taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 BC. And if we were to look at 2 Kings, chapters 15-17, they'll give us the historical background for the prophecies that we find in this book of Hosea. The name Hosea means salvation. It was a message delivered at a time of national decline. When Hosea got to his feet and began his ministry, Jeroboam II, again, he was the king. And while it was a time of great material prosperity, the nation, as we've already said, was rotting away internally. It was making alliances and compromises with foreign peoples instead of trusting in the Lord to lead and to guide them. The prophet exposes the sins of the people. He warns of coming judgment. And then he surveys the day of future hope. Now the unique feature of Hosea's message is that here was a prophet forced to live his message himself before he could get out there and preach it to the people. He had to endure deep agony in his own home because of the sins of his wife, but all of this was an object lesson to him and to his people. As an outline we have Israel's unfaithfulness pictured in chapters 1-3. The first three chapters are a storyline of his personal experience and that's the foundation for the whole message. Transgression is one of the keynotes here. Visitation is another keynote. Restoration, a third, and these keep running through the book. Hosea wanted to marry a girl called Gomer. God allowed him to do it. But he warned him that she would break his heart. And she did. Gomer bore Hosea three children. Then she left him to live with other men. And when Hosea rediscovered his wayward wife, she was being sold in a slave market. Hosea 3, verses 1 and 2. He had to buy her back. He had to bring her home. He assured her then of forgiveness and love. And there's every reason to believe that Gomer repented of her sins and became a faithful wife. Now all of this was a picture of Israel's unfaithfulness to God and of the punishment that would fall upon her sin, notably captivity. So her unfaithfulness is pictured. Then with Israel's sins proclaimed in chapter 4 through to chapter 7. The sins of the nation are pointed up. And to make matters worse, the nation tried to cover her sin. with a shallow religious revival that we read of in chapter 6 verses 1-6. But Hosea comes along and is a master preacher. He pulls in various figures and pictures to show the shallow spiritual condition of the people. He describes her in chapter 6 verse 4 as a morning cloud. as the half-baked cake in chapter 7 verse 8, as one who had grey hairs in chapter 8 verse 9, as the silly dove in chapter 7 verse 11, and again he describes her as a deceitful bone, chapter 7 verse 16. Then her judgment is pronounced in chapters 8 to 10. The backslider is always punished. And Hosea could look on to the horizon of history here and he could see Assyria coming, sweeping in to chastise the nation of Israel and carry it away into bondage. And he saw this judgment and he pictured it as the coming of a swift eagle, chapter 8 and verse 1. As the wrath of a whirlwind, chapter 8 and verse 7. As the burning of a fire, 8 and verse 14. The nation, he said, will be scattered Chapter 8 and 8, chapter 9 and 17, and it will reap more than they have sown. Chapter 10 verses 12 to 15. But as well as her unfaithfulness pictured, her sins proclaimed, judgment pronounced, we have Israel's restoration promised. Chapter 11 to 14. God would work against her in love. He would always have the desire of drawing Israel back to himself. And so there is a vision of future glory that unfolds in these last chapters of the book. The prophecy is remarkable in that it reveals Jehovah's compassion for His people and the conditions of restoration are laid down clearly. You must confess and then be converted. The sin of stewards reveals the light of the Father's face, but only as that sin is put away can we enter again into fellowship with Him. then becomes one of the major prophets. Isaiah, prophet number 5, is down in the southern kingdom of Judah ministering. It's before the exile and again it's in the Assyrian period. Isaiah receives his call into the ministry in the last year of King Uzziah. That was Isaiah chapter 6. He's looked upon as the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. He preached during the reigns of Jotam, Ahaz and Hezekiah. The prophecy here that he wrote from beginning to end is a marvellous unity. It's the work of one divine mind through one prepared agent. Some Bible critics come along and they try to carve up Isaiah and say that this section of the book was written by this man, another section by another man, another section by somebody else. But it's written by one man, Isaiah. The Israelitish and the messianic divisions, they are locked together in the centre by an historical section. Isaiah lifts up his voice against the backslidings of the people. You can see the common cause that all the prophets have. He calls upon them to repentance. He warns them of coming judgment. He utters denunciations about the surrounding nations. He shows that God is sovereign, the moral governor of the world. That all of God's will shall be fulfilled in His messianic King, the suffering servant, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. And that through Him, the whole wide world shall be blessed. So we have two divisions in Isaiah. Chapter 1 through to chapter 39 is condemnation, the defeat of Assyria. And he sermons against Judah and Israel, chapters 1-12, burdens of judgment to the other outside nations, 13-23. Then songs of future glory for the nation, 24-27. He has woes uttered against the sins of the people, 28-35. Then there's this historical interlude that we talked about that features King Hezekiah, chapters 36-39. His victory over Assyria, his sin with Babylon. Then we have the second section of the book, which is consolation. The remnant delivered from Babylon, chapter 40 through to chapter 66. We see the greatness of God and the grace of God. We have the suffering servant, Jesus Christ, who dies for man. In Isaiah we have 17 references to Jehovah's servant. In 13 of them, the nation is in view. In 4 of these, Jesus Christ is clearly pictured. Chapter 42 and 1 in the verse 19. Chapter 52, the verse 13. And chapter 53 even, and the verse 11. And that entire section from 52 verse 13 through to 53 in the verse 12 is a vivid description of the sufferings, the death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not only the greatness of God, the grace of God, but the glory of God is shown in chapter 58 through to chapter 66. We have the splendor and the glory of His future kingdom. Some people describe Isaiah as the Bible in miniature. Because it does divide up naturally into 39 chapters, and then the next 27 chapters, 66, therefore, chapters in total. They say, well, you know, the first 39 corresponds with the Old Testament books. The next 27 corresponds with the New Testament books. Like the Old Testament, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah emphasize judgment, but the last 27 bring a message of mercy and comfort. There are parallels, but I don't think you can push it all that much. Then we've got prophet number six, who is Micah. He is a ministry, almost a dual ministry, to the north and to the south. He's before the exile during the Assyrian period again. He lived along with Isaiah and Hosea, prophesied during the reign of Hoshea in Israel, and Hezekiah and Manasseh down there in the south in Judah. The book's composed of three sermons. Each sermon in Micah begins with the word, Heal. So he's looking for attention. And he goes out and he proclaims, Hear! And he tells about the captivity of Samarium and of Jerusalem because of their sins. As with all the prophets, he sees far up the path of history, the coming of the King, the repentance and the restoration of the people, the establishment of the kingdom, the felicity of the Jews, the subjection and prosperity of the nations, and Messiah's prophecy. is refreshingly and distinctively messianic and millennial. Judgment is coming, he says, in chapters 1 and 2. He names the capital cities in Judah, Jerusalem, and in Israel, Samaria. In fact, in this first message, this first sermon, he identifies twelve cities where sin was right. Then he talks about not only judgment coming, but the Deliberator is coming, chapter 3 through to chapter 5, and here is a message of hope that's bursting out. The wicked leaders of the land were condemned for devouring the people instead of delivering them. Then he switches to a new theme after chapter 3 verses 1-7. He is talking now about one day. There will be peace. There will be righteousness in the earth. Mount Zion will become the capital of the world. All of the armies will be dissolved and weaponry will be destroyed. So there is real, verifiable, decommissioning back then. in the days of Micah's prophecy. But this can only happen because of the Deliberer who was to come. And having mentioned 12 cities, Micah mentions one more, Bethlehem, in chapter 5, verses 2 and 3. It's the birthplace of this Deliberer. This is where he will be born. In Bethlehem, Ephratah. Little among the thousands of Judah. Just a tiny place. And that ties in, of course, with Matthew 2 and verse 6 where this prophecy is fulfilled. And it is this prophecy, Micah 5 and 2, that led the wise men to Jesus, who is the Messiah. Then the final message, chapter 6 and 7, Trust the Lord Today. The scene in these closing chapters is that of a courtroom. God is calling the people to be judged. He promises to restore them in future days. And the closing words In chapter 7 verses 18 to 20, I love them. They form a tremendous statement of faith. This is the whole purpose of Micah's message. The mercy of God. He wants to bring them to faith in Jehovah. Now we have prophet number 7. ministering down in the south as well, the southern kingdom of Judah. It's before their exile or captivity and again it's in the Assyrian period. So all of the prophets now up until this point have been ministering in the Assyrian period and we have to meet a few more that will be ministering during that time as well. The prophecy of Nahum is directed against Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. It's a pronouncement and a defence of the doom that will overtake it. Approximately 180 years before, Judah had been sent out with a message of warning to this city. And Nineveh listened, and Nineveh repented, but their sorrow didn't last. It was like the morning clouds. Now God has raised against them again. His fury is against the persistently wicked, and it must be poured out. And so the overthrow of Nineveh is first of all declared, then it's described, then finally it's defended why God is doing it. He gives reasons. And this book was written when Nineveh was at the peak of her power. When Nineveh was on the high perch, when no one would have thought it likely that mighty Nineveh should ever fall. And yet in God's word, through the prophet Nathan, he is saying Nineveh is falling. The book is a masterpiece of vivid writing, a marvel of condensation. In small speech, he brings a large message. God is jealous. Nineveh will fall. That's the burden of chapter 1. God is burning with hatred against sin, even though he loves the sinner. And Nahum here describes the fall of Nineveh using two pictures, a great flood of water and a fire of dry thorns. But in the midst of the flood and the fire, there are two oases for God's people. Chapter 1, verse 7. You'll remember the words, the Lord is good. I love the context of these words. You know, it's clamour. It's threatenings of wrath. There are convulsions in the earth. There are explosions going off. And then all of a sudden, God just drops it in. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that trust in Him. And again, the second oasis in this chapter is verse 15. Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, and publisheth peace. It wraths upon the wicked, but it is good news for the people of God. God is jealous. Nineveh will fall. Then chapter 2 of Nahum. God is judge. Nineveh's fall is great. Chapter 1 verse 15 is actually the beginning of the second chapter in the Hebrew Bible, and it's a joyful announcement that Nineveh has fallen. The repeated reference here we have to lions. In chapter 2 verses 11 to 13 of Nahum, that should not be skipped over. We should note that, underline it. You see, the lion was the great symbol of the Assyrian power. If you look at their image, Let us go down through the record of archaeology about the kingdom of Assyrium. They've got huge statues of lions with men's heads. But God is talking here about the lions in the second chapter of the book of Nahum. And he's saying, I can defeat them. Then chapter 3, God is just. Nineveh deserves to fall, and Nahum here talks about the justice of God's act in destroying Nineveh. We're on to prophet number 8, and it's Zephaniah. Again, we're in the southern kingdom of Judah. It's before the exile, the carrying away captive into Babylon, and it's during the Assyrian period. So Zephaniah, he is contemporary, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nahum and Jeremiah. These are all prophets that are ministering at the same time as he is. He is exercising his ministering in the earlier portion of the reign of King Josiah. So we tie in with his ministering the background of 2 Kings chapter 22 and 2 Kings chapter 23. He would have been instrumental, this prophet Zephaniah, in bringing about the reformation that was wrought with the King Josiah in his 18th year. And he was great, great grandson of King Hezekiah. Now, Zephaniah's prophecy is short, but it's true. If Jewel was characterized by the repeated and vivid description he gives of the day of the Lord, then Zephaniah is also known for that. A day of wrath he talks about, a day of trouble, this is how it will be. A day of distress, of ruin, desolation, darkness, gloom, gross darkness, of the trumpet and of alarm. The day of the Lord is a day of judgment, which will bring in blessings for the righteous, which will issue in peace for the people of God and this day will come not just for Israel but for all the earth. And so Zephaniah here in preaching directs his message to the north, to the south, to the east, to the west and he concentrates finally upon the city of Jerusalem. But he sees glory beyond the gloom and sings of it, talks about blessing beyond the curses as well. So an outline of Zephaniah, judgment for Judah. Chapter 1, verse 1, through to chapter 2, verse 3. Then we have judgment for the other nations. Chapter 2, verse 4, through to chapter 3, and to verse 7. And Philistia comes under judgment. Moab and Ammon, the traditional enemies of Israel. God's people. We have Egypt. We have Assyrium. They're all set for judgment. And the argument is, if the Lord judges the sins of the heathen, how much more will He judge the sins of Judah? Then we have restoration promised in chapter 3, verse 8 to 20. And there is an emphasis here upon the remnant. 2, verse 7. 2, verse 9. 3, verse 13. There will be a remnant. They will be spared. They will have to weep that they can endure. And they will sing for when God's wrath is poured out, He will restore and rejoice over the nation. Jeremiah is prophet number 9. Again, the southern kingdom, he is both before the exile and during the exile he is a message and that's the Assyrian and the Babylonian periods. Now we have a quote here by Dr. William Graham Strogging and we'll read it through. Speaking about Jeremiah he says, this is a book far too little read and the author is a man much misunderstood. He received the divine call in the reign of the godly Josiam and five years after the law was found in the temple. The reformation under that king had not proved permanent and the nation was rushing headlong to its doom. Jeremiah saw this clearly and spoke of it faithfully. His was an exceedingly difficult task, for it was not so much to call the people to repentance, in order that he might escape the fate of Israel, as to verge upon them to submit to the coming Babylonian power, which most certainly would come upon them and overthrow them. For this advice he was sorely persecuted and spurned as a traitor to his nation. But right through his message rang strong and clear a message of denunciation, visitation, invitation and consolation. Perhaps none of the prophets comes so near to the Saviour in his aspect of suffering servant as does Jeremiah. And perhaps none shares with him so deep a grief for the sins of the people. He appeared to feel in his mission But in reality he did not. His words were fulfilled, are being fulfilled, and are yet to be. And that is an excellent summary of Jeremiah. We have here an introduction. The prophet's call. That's chapter 1. Then we have national messages to Judah, chapter 2 to chapter 33, personal messages, Jeremiah's sufferings, chapter 34 to 45. We have international aspect in the book, messages to the nations including Egypt and Philistia and Moab and Ammon and Edom and Syria and Kedar and Elam, Babylon as well, in fact Babylon is mentioned 168 times in the book of Jeremiah and all of this is chapter 46 through to 51. Then we have the prophet's captivity and his release, chapter 51. The book of Lamentations, we've already said this was written by Jeremiah. It's really a series of funeral poems marking the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Jeremiah, if you can perceive him, he is sitting in the burned out shell of the city that lay dear to his heart, Jerusalem, and he's crying, lamenting. That's why the word is used, the lamentations of Jeremiah. Now, the book is actually written in acrostic form. Each of the 22 verses in chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 4, chapter 5 starts with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In chapter 3 there are three verses given to each letter, but no book in the Bible reveals the suffering heart of God over human sin like the book of Lamentations does. Now we're on to prophet number 10. Again prophesying to the southern kingdom, He's pre-exilic, before the captivity. We're in the Babylonian period and we're talking about Habakkuk, one of my personal favourites. A lot of profound teaching in the book. It's among the most graphic of all the prophecies. He's probably preaching during the reign of King Jehoiakim, who was the third from the last of all the kings of Judah. The message would have been about the almost immediate fall of the Assyrian empire that was foretold by Nahum and the rise to prominence of the Chaldean power, the Babylonian empire that would extend to the end of Judah's captivity. Nahum would have been concerned with the close of one empire, Habakkuk therefore with the commencement of the other empire. God had been using this Assyrian Empire as a bit of a rod to lift up and smite the back of his people with and chastise his people by but the Assyrians had not repented, they had not turned to him and so he destroyed this rod, this instrument and he lays hold upon another instrument which is now the Chaldeans or the Babylonians. The outline of the book of Habakkuk chapter 1 we have the prophet wandering He is perplexed by two leading questions that are questions people ask today. Why is God silent? And in Act 1, verses 1-4, God gives His answer in 1, verses 5-11. He is going to raise up the Chaldeans as an instrument of chasing the people. But then there's another perplexing query that that sparks off. How can God use such a sinful nation for a holy cause and purpose? Habakkuk 1 verses 12 to 17. Habakkuk couldn't understand how the Lord could reach out and use such a wicked nation as the Babylonians to punish his own people. The prophet wandering then in chapter 1. Then he's watching and waiting in chapter 2. He's up on his watchtower. In the light of the judgment that is going to come, well he didn't fall down to become an atheist or an agnostic or anything like that. He went up to the watchtower to pray, to meditate, to weep upon the Lord and in answer to his prayer, God gave Habakkuk three wonderful assurances to encourage and strengthen him in those dangerous days. He tells them, the just shall live by his feet. Chapter 2, verse 4, that we find four times in the Bible. Romans 1, 17. Galatians 3, 11. Hebrews 10, verse 38. It's one of the most important verses in the Scriptures. We cannot overemphasize it. Then he tells them as well, the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Chapter 2, verse 14. There are five woes in this chapter. They are the things that God hates and judges. Greedy and violent covetousness. Murder, drunkenness, idolatry. And in spite of these, God will put sin down and establish His righteous kingdom. Then he says, not only the just shall live by his faith, the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. But the Lord is in His holy temple, chapter 2, verse 20. In other words, don't be fretting, Habakkuk. Don't be riddled with anxiety. God is still on the throne. He is in His holy temple. And then we have the prophet worshipping in chapter 3, and why could he not with such a message of assurance from God? He prays, chapter 3 verse 2. He ponders, chapter 3 verses 3 to 16. Finally, he praises, chapter 3 verse 17 to 19. And how he praises, and in this book of Habakkuk, the way to deal with life's problems has been amply demonstrated. And it's a wonderful book to go to. Prophet number 11 is Obadiah. We're talking about the Southern Kingdom still, he's during the exile, so we're talking about the Babylonian period. Now this is the shortest of the prophetic books, Ubadai, one chapter. But it's not of little significance by any means. We know nothing of the prophet himself, which means he was a servant of God. The first verse of the prophecy says it's concerning Edom. So it's an outside nation that he's prophesying against. The people of Edom, the people that descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, they're now causing problems. It would seem that the event that occasioned the prophecy was the overthrow of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. The angry soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar were coming in, wrecking the walls of Jerusalem, slaying the inhabitants, burning the city. But they were being cheered on by a group of neighboring citizens, the Edomites. They were happy that Judah was going down. And for this action of cheering on the enemy, God will judge the Edomites as well. He will resettle Israel in their lands, including former Edomite territory. And after AD 70, The Edenites entirely disappeared from history. So with God's vengeance on Esau, verses 1 to 16, judgment would be in kind. They would be betrayed and slaughtered by their own confederates, just as they had done to Judah. Verse 5, verse 6, verses 9 to 11. And then, as well as God's vengeance on Esau, we have God's victory for Jacob. Verses 17-21, not a little word, but in verse 17 marks the turning point. It's the hinge. God is promising deliverance and cleansing to mine Zion. They would, he says, possess their possessions. A day of great blessing. Ezekiel. Prophet number 12. Southern Kingdom. During the exile, you remember Ezekiel was one of the captives in Babylon. It's a Babylonian period and the date is 592 to 572 BC. And we've given the setting of this particular prophet in the box there on the page 20. Just down towards the bottom of the box we say Ezekiel was silent in exile because he was carried away about 25 years of age, taken near the ship canal of Cheborn, chapter 3, verse 15, round about 200 miles north of Babylon. And he's silent there for five years during captivity. And then the call comes to Ezekiel, stand up, be a prophet of the Lord. And his ministry began when he was about 13 in 592 BC. It lasted for over 20 years. And this was six years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. So while Ezekiel was prophesying on the banks of the river Kibar in Babylon, Jeremiah was prophesying at Jerusalem back home, and Daniel was also prophesying in Babylon. We have three clear sections in the book of Ezekiel, chapters 1-24 all given before the siege of Jerusalem, chapters 25-32 during the siege of Jerusalem, and chapters 33-48 after the siege of Jerusalem. An outline. We have the introduction, the prophet's call, chapters 1-3. We have God's judgment on Jerusalem, 4-24. We have God's judgment then spreading out to the surrounding nations, chapters 25-32. Then we have God's restoration of the Jews, 33-48. The new nation is revived and reunited, chapters 36-37. There is a new victory, 38-39. There is a new temple, 40-46. And this temple is greater than anything ever known by Israel. Many people believe it has to refer to a future time. A great millennial temple that will be filled with God's glory during Christ's 1,000 year reign upon the earth. Chapter 43, verses 1-12. There's a new land. 47, 48, the chapters in Ezekiel that tell us about this. It's refreshed and re-divided. And the name of the city shall be Jehovah Shammah. The Lord is there. What a turnaround. We have Daniel, prophet number 13. He's in the southern kingdom. It's during the exile. So we're talking about the Babylonian and the next period as well, the Median and Persian periods, 605 to 534 BC. This prophet we know was taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, one of the young Hebrew children to be taken there in 605 BC. He survived the long exile of Judah in Babylon, those 70 years, and he saw the return under King Cyrus the Persian. It's a wonderful book. We're told that Daniel in his outlook is much more comprehensive than the earlier prophets. His view is of a succession of empires. He shows how the sequence of these empires is determined before God. He declares that when their appointed limit is reached, they are overthrown by God. He grasped the great idea of a world state ruled over by principles of justice and right under the messianic king. He views past and present and future as a comprehensive whole. Now, Daniel can be outlined by the personal history of Daniel, chapters 1 to 6. Chapter 1, he maintains a godly watch. Chapter 2, interprets the dream of the image. Chapter 3, the golden image in the plane of Jura, where Daniel was not present on this occasion. He interprets the tree dream in chapter 4, the handwriting on the wall in chapter 5, the lion's den. When by this stage, Daniel 6, he's an old man in his 80s. Then we have the prophetical ministry of Daniel in the second half of the book, chapter 7 to 12. His vision of the four beasts, chapter 7. The vision of the ram and the eagle, chapter 8. His prayer and confession, the 70 weeks, chapter 9. And his final vision, chapters 10 to 12. Now there are six different kingdoms identified in the book of Daniel. The Babylonian kingdom, The Medo-Persian kingdom, the Greek kingdom, the Roman kingdom, the kingdom of the Antichrist, and the kingdom of the Christ, the stone that smites. Chapter 2, verses 44 and 45. And then in chapter 7, he is the Ancient of Deus, verses 9 to 14. And in the box there, bottom of page 22, we have all the details that we need about these six different kingdoms, how they're carved up and how they're described. On to the message of Haggai. Prophet number 14. Southern Kingdom. He is after the captivity. So here we have the first post-exilic prophet. After they came back from captivity. In 536 BC, Ezra took about 50,000 Jews and he returned back to the Kingdom of Judah. In 535, the foundation for a new temple was laid. But there was opposition. People didn't like it. The work came to a standstill. It was not until 520 BC that people recommenced that work of reconstruction again, and in 515 the temple was eventually completed. Four men oversaw the task, Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest, and two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah. And we read of them in Ezra chapter 5 verse 1 and in Ezra 6 verse 14. Now why was Haggai sent? What was he doing here? Preaching after the captivity period in Jerusalem when his ministry was to awaken the people and encourage them to finish the temple. And you know how Haggai says, it's not right that you're dwelling in your sealed houses and the house of God lies waste. Come on, let's get up and build this temple, finish it off. There are four decent sermons from Haggai in his prophesying, and in each message, Haggai stresses a particular sin that was the obstacle to accomplishing God's will. Message number one. Putting self in front of the Lord. Chapter 1 verse 1 to 15. 16 years has passed. The temple is not finished. But the people have built their own houses. Putting self in front of the Lord would have been the title of Haggai's sermon. Sermon number 2. You're looking back instead of looking forward. Chapter 2 verses 1 to 9. They were comparing Solomon's temple with the one that was under construction now. They were crying that the one they're building didn't have the glory or the splendor of Solomon's temple. Then sermon number 3, chapter 2, verses 10-19. You are failing to confess your sins. Sermon number 4 is in chapter 2, verses 20-23. And he is talking here about the sin of unbelief. We move to Zechariah. Two to go. Prophet number 15. Southern Kingdom he is. Again, after they have returned from their exile. This book ranks next to Daniel. revealing God's plan for the Jews not only in his day but a way down through the centuries of time. You want to read what will happen to the Jews? You'll find it in Daniel, you'll find it in Zechariah as well. He mentions in Zechariah the city of Jerusalem 39 times. Zechariah 1 verses 14-17 is the key of the book. God is jealous for Jerusalem. He will punish the heathen for what they have done to His city. He will one day restore the city to glory and peace. And significantly, Zechariah means God remembers. And sometimes when we have a tough, and everything in our life has collapsed, and the walls are down, and the temple, the worship is over, we're not praying, we're not reading the word as we should, let's recall this message. God remembers, He knows where we are, He knows our condition, and He will bring us back. So the outline of the book, we have an introduction, a call to repentance, chapter 1, verses 1-6. Then there are 8 visions of encouragement. Through chapter 1 verse 7 to chapter 6 verse 15, the rider, the horns and the craftsmen, the surveyor, Joshua the high priest. In chapter 3 verses 1 to 10, the candlestick and the trees. Chapter 4, the flying roll. In chapter 5 verses 1 to 4, the woman and the ephod. Chapter 5, 5 to 11, the chariots of worm. Chapter 6, 1 to 8, 8 visions. of encouragement. Then there is the crowning of the priest-king. Chapter 6 verses 9 to 15. This is the climax of God's plan for the world. The crowning of Christ as the priest-king. We've got an interlude in chapters 7 and 8. Questions about the various paths. Then we have two oracles of encouragement through chapters 9 to 14. The first oracle, chapters 9 to 11. We've got in here a reference to the conquest of Alexander the Great, chapter 9, verses 1-8. The victories of the Maccabees, chapter 9, verses 11-17. The conquest of Rome, chapter 11, verses 1-9. But then the coming of the Messiah, he's referred to in chapter 9, 9. Chapter 10, chapter 11, verses 10-14. And the coming of the Antichrist, noted in chapter 11, 15-17. Then with the second oracle, Chapters 12-14, Israel is in distress. The final conflict, chapter 14, verses 1-3, and the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ. Chapter 14, verses 8-21. Now you know from what I've said already, Christ is prominently pictured in this prophecy of Zechariah. And Zechariah shows him in many aspects of his ministry. He's the King. Chapter 9, verse 9. He's the stone. that will destroy and crush all others. Chapter 3, verse 9. Chapter 10, verse 4. He's the slave, soul for 30 pieces of silver. Chapter 11, verse 12. The smitten shepherd where the sheep are scattered. Chapter 13 and 7. The branch. 3, verse 8. 6, verse 12. The glorious ruler. Chapter 14, verses 1 to 4. Verse 9, verses 16 and 17. This book reveals Jesus in a wonderful way. The final book of the Old Testament is Malachi. Prophet number 16. We're in the Southern Kingdom, as most of the prophets, they bring us here. We're after the exiles still. Malachi is building up the restored nation, encouraging them, around 400 years before Christ comes. He points out the awful sins of the priests and of the people, and they're responding to him by arguing. He says, now, why Are you doing this? Not tithing before the Lord. Not bringing the best of your offerings. And they start and they say, ah, but we are doing it. You're just missing it. You're misinterpreting our actions and our attitudes. The book is closed in Malachi with some wonderful promises to those who were faithful from chapter 3, verse 16 through to chapter 4 and 6. And basically what we're being told is the jewels of Christ, we His people, shall have the sun of righteousness, Jesus Himself, to rise and shine upon us. The last word in our English Old Testament is curse. The final word of the final verse of Malachi, curse. Before I come and destroy the earth with a curse. At the end of the New Testament we read, there shall be no more curse. Now what was the difference? What changes things between the end of the Old Testament at Malachi and the end of the New Testament at Revelation? What changes things? the Son of Righteousness arises, Jesus Christ our Lord, and He changes the curse and transforms it into blessing. And what a wonderful way therefore to reflect on how the Old Testament ends leading us in to the coming of Jesus in New Testament times. You'll find a bare bones summary page 27, page 28 of the notes, of all of the different books, the key words in the books, the main theme of the book, and that will be pretty useful as well. But you'll notice on page 26 we say, congratulations, you've now completed section 1, the story of the Old Testament. This is a major milestone in understanding the Bible. And if we get to grips with this, then it will be a major milestone.