1. Bible Blitz IV The Prophets June 25, 2007 Presenter: Fr. Ed Technician: Ray Hosler Honoree: Deacon Norm

2. The Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah - Lamentations Ezekiel - Daniel Hosea - Joel Amos - Obadiah Jonah - Micah Nahuum - Habakkuk

3. The Prophets – cont’d Zephaniah - Haggai Zachariah - Malachi John the Baptist Jesus

4. The Prophets Prophets: Were people who received a special word from God to communicate to others. Usually it involved a life-long call. They: spoke boldly, warned, encouraged, gave instructions, gave comfort. Many left no writings.

5. The Prophets Common themes: distortions of the Law and worship rituals; moral and social evils; oppression and injustice; personal sins; coming judgments; future hopes; the coming Messiah

6. (The prophets did not fully understand the future that was pictured in their prophecies; they were more forthtelling than foretelling).

7. Understanding the Prophets 1.Prophets have a message primarily for the people of their day. 2.Prophets had a philosophy of history, i.e., God is in charge of history. 3.Prophets viewed their predictions as divine applications of covenant promises. God would keep His promises.

8. 4.Prophecies are pictures of events that would come to pass, even though each detail of when and how could not be comprehended.

9. Isaiah (781-687; Jerusalem based) “He wrote as though he knew Jesus” Poet, prophet, painter, musician

10. Isaiah – Time Line 740 BC – God selects Isaiah to be a prophet 722 BC – Assyria destroys Israel 705 BC – Hezekiah revolts against Assyria 701 BC – Assyria seizes Judah but not Jerusalem 586 BC – Babylon destroys Jerusalem 538 BC – Jews return to Jerusalem

11. How many prophets does it take to write a book? I Isaiah: Chapters 1-39 – Jerusalem – 740-700 II Isaiah: Chapters 40-55 – Babylon – 546-538 III Isaiah: Chapters 56-66 – Jerusalem – 537-520

12. Hot Lips Isaiah His call (Is 6:1-13) The Messiah’s Virgin birth (Is 7:14) Promise of the Messiah (Is 9:2-7) Promise of peace among natural enemies (Is 11:1-16) The fall of Babylon (Is 13:1-22) The Oracles The Suffering Servant Messiah (Is 53:1- 12)

13. Jeremiah (626-587) “He predicts doom and lives to see it” “The Weeping Prophet” “Don’t cry Jeremiah”

14. Jeremiah – Time Line 626 BC – Jeremiah begins his 40 year ministry 605 BC – Babylon invades Judah, takes Daniel 597 BC – Babylon suppresses Judean rebellion, takes Ezekiel 586 BC – Babylon destroys Jerusalem and other Judean cities

15. The Young Prophet His call – 628 BC (Jer 1:5-10) Arrest, imprisonment, public disgrace, murder? “The new Covenant” – “The Gospel before the Gospel” (Jer 31:31-34) The fall of Jerusalem (Jer 37-39) Flight into Egypt (Jer 52)

16. Some Episodes Jeremiah visits a potter’s shop (Jer 18:1-23) Someday – a good king (Jer 23:1-8) 70 years in exile (Jer 25:1-14) The king burns Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jer 36:1-32) Jeremiah in a cistern (Jer 38:1-13) Jeremiah survives the fall of Jerusalem (Jer 39:1-40, 52:1-34)