According to the Talmud, there were 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses of Judaism. 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). The profound conviction that the messages of the prophets had been fulfilled led many to believe in Christ as the Son of God. It is ever the privilege of those who witness the fulfillment of prophecy to remember and believe (John 13:19; 14:29; John 16:4). Period Northern Kings Northern Prophets Southward Kings Southern Prophets United kingdom under Saul, David, Soro, c. 1030 - Having begun his ministry in the time of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel (chapter 1:1), Hosea continued until the time of Hezekiah, king of Judah (chapter 1:1). Jeremiah 49:14, 16), and Joel (Obadiah 15, 17; cf. Technical know-how would render products made in Israel superior to all others. True and whole-hearted worship ushers in peace and blessing from the land. chapter 11:9, 10). Among them about 30,000 are specified (Ezra 2 and Neh 7) as belonging to the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. Many years later, in writing to the strangers, or Gentiles (1 Peter 1:1: see on Exodus 12:19, 43), as the elect of God (1 Peter 1:2), Peter refers to them as the chosen ones of God, a holy nation, a peculiar people (chapter 2:9), formerly not a people, but now the people of God (verse 10). We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. The exposition of Scripture attempted by proponents of the British-Israel theory consists of an admixture of selected Bible passages with legend, folk tales, and speculation. When the probationary period of 490 years ended, the nation was still obdurate and impenitent, and as a result forfeited its privileged role as His representative on earth. Picture Study Bible - StudyBible with Pictures and Maps. 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. The plan itself never changes because God never changes. Ultimately Israel was conquered by Assyria and went into captivity in 721 BC, never to return as an independent nation. Uzziah was sole king over Judah from 767 to 750, and Jeroboam over Israel from 782 to 753. As the numbers of Israel increased, they were to enlarge their borders, until their kingdom should embrace the world (cf. In the endeavor to account for this seeming enigma, Bible expositors have set forth various explanations: 1. Hence, the year 603 can be considered as the beginning of Daniels ministry as a prophet. BC dates, I've also included the number of years since the end of Their own characters were to be progressively ennobled and elevated, and to reflect more and more perfectly the attributes of the perfect character of God (Deuteronomy 4:9; 28:1, 13, 14; 30:9, 10). Gods promises are made conditional upon mans cooperation and obedience. Hence the year 571/70 must not be considered as necessarily marking the end of his ministry. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. The modernist school of interpretation bases its position on the a priori assumption that any knowledge of the future is impossible, and ignores all evidence to the contrary. Filed under Bible, Bible Reference, History, Infographics, Literacy, Old Testament. 3. Spiritual Israel includes both Jews and Gentiles (verse 24). 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. See Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:2-8; Malachi 3:8-11. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. They would send messengers to Israel with the declaration, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you (Zechariah 8:23). endobj from the ends of the earth (Jeremiah 16:19), to the light of truth shining forth from the mountain of the Lord (Isaiah 2:3; 60:3; 56:7; cf. However, there is also no reference made to Persia, which would be expected if the book was of so late a date. The church in this generation has been endowed by God with great privileges and blessings, and He expects corresponding returns. Added Huldah as a prophetess during the reign of Judah's King Josiah. First Century Israel Map - 2. Godlinessgodlikenessis the goal to be reached. Samuel and Kings continued with the story of the nation of Israel, often through the perspective of prophets. Yet, since Gods purposes are immutable (Psalms 33:11; Prov. His word endureth for ever (1 Peter 1:25). The Assyrian capital city of Nineveh was captured and destroyed by the combined forces of Media and Babylonia in 612 B.C., which is, accordingly, the latest possible date for Nahum. endobj But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. Several prophecies followed a few months later (Zechariah 1:7 to 6:15). Daniel himself so understood these promises (Daniel 9:1-8). Our study of messages originally proclaimed by holy men of old to the people of their day is not to become an end in itself, but a means of discovering the will of God for all who would render Him truehearted service now, at the climax of the ages. Mark 7:9). You can also change some of your preferences. Any nation and kingdom that would not serve Israel was to perish chapter (60:12). 2 Samuel 12:7 - "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says", The Story of the Bible - Part One - The Old Testament. A closer dating is impossible in spite of the statement that his first divine message came to him two years before the earthquake (chapter 1:1), because the date of this event is unknown. Thus Israel was to blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit (Isaiah 27:6). Also note that during this time the prophets Jeremiah & Ezekiel were active. He played an important role during two momentous periods: (1) under Ahaz, during the war between Syria and Israel (chapters 7-11), and (2) under Hezekiah, during a siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib chapters 36; 37). Remember thatgenerally speakingit was originally given with respect to the historical circumstances that called it forth. Gods call to the nations would have been, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth (Isaiah 45:22). Tabular showing how the four major andtwelve minor prophets fit into the timeline of the kings of Judah andIsrael. ![A1 l0.BaD Xae [#J8U!r^X O, ***The Scripture references provided are those that help estimate the time periods of each prophets ministry. 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. Israel's Prophetic Timeline These repeated Messianic predictions were designed to lift the eyes of the people from the transitory events of their own time to the coming of Messiah and the establishment of His eternal kingdom, in order to afford them a view of the things of time in the light of eternity. 2. % He quotes Hosea 2:23. The kingdom was divided following Solomons death (see 1 Kings 11:33-38). Between the return from Babylon and the rejection of the Messiah, Israel was to have its second and final opportunity as a nation to cooperate with the divine plan (see Jeremiah 12:14-17). Numbers 14:26-34. Had Israel measured up to the noble ideal, all of the promises contingent upon obedience would long since have been fulfilled. Timeline: Prophets in the Reigns on Kings of Judah and Israel 1 Kings 8:41-43). They were to be far in advance of other nations in wisdom and understanding. 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. %PDF-1.5 During the reign of Jehoiakim he nearly lost his life for his bold messages, and hence went into hiding (chapter 36:26). (This rule does not apply to those portions of the book of Daniel that the prophet was bidden to shut up and seal, or to other passages whose application Inspiration may have limited exclusively to our own time.). Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. He would have come, He would have died, and would have risen again. God designed that Israels experience should prove to be a warning to Judah (see Hosea 1:7; 4:15-17; 11:12; Jeremiah 3:3-12; etc.). Discover what the message meant to the people of that time. Timeline of the Prophets This prophecy must have been pronounced either before Jeroboam came to the throne (approximately 793 B.C.) See Exodus 31:2-6; 35:33, 35. One of the main objectives of the Bible commentator is to reconstruct the historical setting in which the declarations of the prophets were originally made. The sons of the stranger [or Gentile, 1 Kings 8:41; see on Exodus 12:19, 43] would join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord (Isaiah 56:6; Zechariah 2:11). In that day every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 14:16; cf. It was Gods design that the whole earth be prepared for the first advent of Christ, even as to-day the way is preparing for His second coming. <> Seventh-day Adventists believe that, generally speaking, the promises and predictions given through the Old Testament prophets originally applied to literal Israel and were to have been fulfilled to them on the condition that they obey God and remain loyal to Him. 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. As the people cooperated with the directions God gave them in regard to the culture of the soil, the land would gradually be restored to Edenic fertility and beauty (Isaiah 51:3). Had Israel as a nation preserved her allegiance to Heaven, Jerusalem would have stood forever, the elect of God (Jeremiah 7:7; 17:25). At the time of the Babylonian captivity God had specifically announced that that experience was not to mark a full end of Israel as Gods people (Jeremiah 4:27; 5:18; 46:28). Observe the conditional aspects of the prediction and ascertain whether or not, or to what extent, the conditions were met. Di Lella, "Daniel" in, Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_the_Hebrew_prophets&oldid=1082234151, Short description with empty Wikidata description, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 12 April 2022, at 01:53. They would gather themselves together and come from far (Isaiah 49:18, 12, 6, 8, 9, 22; Psalms 102:22). Since no conclusive evidence for any of these three views exists, all are presented here: 1. "yonah" (dove) Sent to warn the inhabitants of Ninevah (Capital of Assyria) of God's Judgement. Holiness of character (Levites 19:2; see on Matthew 5:48). By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. 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. It would become an object lesson of the results of acting in harmony with moral, as with natural, law. The British-Israel movement teaches that the Anglo-Saxon peoples are the literal descendants of the ten so-called lost tribes of the northern kingdom and that the promises will, in large measure, be fulfilled to their modern posterity. New Testament Overview - General survey of the New Testament. In the midst of these kingdoms, several prophets are sent by God. Even the heathen would recognize the superiority of those who served and worshiped the living God. That which God purposed to do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish through His church on earth to-day. Blessings if they followed the LORD and curses if they forsook him. *The prophets are listed according to their order in the Scriptures. Daniel 2:35). Galatians 3:27-29; see on Deuteronomy 18:15). Although no chronological data are found in the book, certain statements permit a comparatively exact dating of Habakkuks prophecies. View Full Article Table of Contents Who Were the Prophets? Whatever the Jews, as a nation, may do, now or in time to come, is in no way related to the former promises made to them. This Upper Egyptian capital city, better known by its Greek name Thebes, was destroyed by King Ashurbanipal in 663 B.C., a date that provides the upper time limit of Nahums prophecy. In so doing we shall be secure against the fanciful explanations sometimes given certain Old Testament prophecies. Chart of Israel's Kings and Prophets 'P9(3,A0-JF .h Kings and Prophets (charts, maps, timeline) - The Time of the Kings Daniel was taken to Babylon in 605 B.C., during the accession year of Nebuchadnezzar (see on chapter 1:1). }[~-?)\ Hence, Jonah was probably the earliest of the prophets under discussion. 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). They forgot that God abhors a multiplication of the forms of religion (Isaiah 1:11-18; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:7; Malachi 2:13), and asks of man nothing but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with his God (Micah 6:8; cf. Image by Isaiah | Biography, Prophet, Theology, & Facts | Britannica The prophet Jonah was a Galilean from Gath-hepher. 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. Examine the prophecy in its entirety. Prophet to Judah. Acts 13:22). Watch on. Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places. The book makes no reference to the fall of Samaria, which took place in 723/22 B.C., and it can therefore be concluded that the prophets last message was given prior to Samarias destruction. From the visible their minds were to be directed to the invisible, from the seen to the unseen, from the material to the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal. 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. Unparalleled prosperity. The Babylonians - Learn about ancient Babylon and the people who lived there. Ninevehs destruction, which came in 612, is referred to as a future event, indicating that Zephaniahs work preceded this date. As he was escaping on a ship bound for Tarshish a great storm arose. lOWT)`~z|&`{AO b W/zx|2u?/l|{X&u~|j0[ZvwR^+=/{w_&vJ:( See on Zechariah 1:8. And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other (Deuteronomy 28:63, 64). It is true, he says, that national Israel stumbled at the stumblingstone, Jesus Christ (Romans 9:32, 33; 11:11; cf. *The prophets are listed according to their order in the Scriptures. The Tabernacle of Ancient Israel - Brief Overview of the Tabernacle of Moses in the Wilderness and the Ark of the Covenant. 4:3 with Amos 8:8; Hosea 4:15 with Amos 5:5; and Hosea 8:14 with Amos 2:5). These were remedied by the vigorous actions of the governor. What makes it challenging when reading straight through the Bible [in chronological order] is that the history is covered in 1 and 2 Kings and then again in 1 and 2 Chronicles. The prophets thus provided a firm foundation for the faith of the apostolic church and made a direct and vital contribution to the Christian faith. His early ministry seems to have coincided with the last years of King Uzziahs reign (see Introduction to Isaiah), but his official call to the office of a prophet came in 740/39, the last year of King Uzziah (chapter 6:1). 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). 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). The fickle, human will is the weak, unstable factor in conditional prophecy. A portion of the nation of Israel returned to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel in 535 B.C., and then with Ezra in 458 B.C., and Nehemiah in 444 B.C. The covenant with literal Israel proved faulty, not because God failed to carry out His part of the covenant, but rather because Israels fair promises proved evanescent as the morning dew (Hosea 6:4; 13:3; Hebrews 8:6, 7). He prophesied to the people of Israel during the years that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Kezekiah were kings of Judah and when Jeroboam II was king of Israel. In the introduction to his book he declares that he worked under the kings Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel. In spite of Israels ultimate failure, a limited knowledge of the true God and of the Messianic hope was widespread when the Saviour was born (see on Matthew 2:1). Furthermore, the rise of the Chaldeans and their invasion of the West is predicted, but this seemed at that time completely incredible (chapter 1:5-7). Copyright 2008 - http://www.BibleChronologyTimeline.com. <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> The Prophets - Life, Hope & Truth Eventually Gods purposes will prevail and the plan of salvation will succeed, irrespective of the failure of any person or group. The prophet Zephaniah traces his genealogy back to an important personage by the name of Hizkiah, probably King Hezekiah (the names are the same in Hebrew) of Judah. Amos presents himself to his readers as a herdsman and a gatherer of sycomore fruit (chapters 1:1; 7:14). Captivity, he said, had confirmed the curse that came because of disobedience (verses 11, 12) and Jerusalem lay desolate (verses 16-19). Chart of Old Testament Prophets and Kingswhere they fit in history Faithful Work After the ExileHaggai, Zechariah, Malachi 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). Without this, the people of Israel would not qualify to receive the material blessings God designed to bestow upon them. Furthermore, Old Testament prophecy must first be examined in terms of its historical application to literal Israel before the validity of a derived application to spiritual Israel may be undertaken. In these tragic events the words of Moses met their final and complete fulfillment: As the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goes to possess it. A date, possibly about 630 B.C., but before the Chaldeans had become a power of some importance, would seem most appropriate for the period of Habakkuks prophetic activity. 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. In fact, this procedure is responsible more than anything else for the fanciful interpretations that distinguish the teachings of certain religious groups. Eventually, all the nations would call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord and be gathered unto it, not to walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart (Jeremiah 3:17). All this leads to the conclusion that Micah prophesied from about 740 to about 700 B.C. Furthermore, the repeated mention of Judahs wickedness, described as enormous in his day (see chapters 1:4-6, 8, 9, 12; 3:1-3, 7), points to the time before Josiahs reform, which began in 623/22. Click on the difference category captions to meet out more. Earlier commentators attempted to equate the two men, because of the use of similar expressions in their utterances (Micah 1:2; cf. Every resource on our site was made possible through the financial support of people like you. Since Jothams sole reign began after the death of his father Uzziah in 740/39, the initial date for Micahs prophetic ministry should probably be placed after that date. 1 0 obj The formal rejection of Jesus by the Jews, as a nation, marked the close of their last opportunity as the special agents of God for the salvation of the world. Some prophets overlap, lived in different areas, or the chronology cannot be estimated with any accuracy. Jotham (750 -735) inactive in rule after Hosea Amos Zechariah Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. Jer 2 - 6 2, 3God sends Jeremiah to Jerusalem to give a series of messages to the people of Judah. Four eminent Hebrew prophets addressed themselves to the people of Israel and Judah in the latter half of the 8th pre-Christian century: Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah. Timeline: Prophets in the Reigns of Kings of Judah and Israel. A study of the Old Testament prophets that consists primarily of lifting selected passages here and there out of their historical context and arbitrarily applying them to our dayas if the prophet spoke exclusively for our benefitis fraught with grave danger.