THE PROPHETS

QUICK FACTS

NAME
Isaiah
OCCUPATION
Prophet
PLACE OF BIRTH
Jerusalem, Israel
AKA
Prophet Isaiah
QUOTES
“Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
—Isaiah
Isaiah Biography

Prophet
Isaiah was best known as the Hebrew prophet who predicted the
coming of Jesus Christ to salvage mankind from sin. Isaiah lived
about 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

Synopsis

Isaiah was a Hebrew prophet who was believed to have lived

about 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Born in
Jerusalem, Israel, he was said to have found his calling as a
prophet when he saw a vision in the year of King Uzziah’s death.
Isaiah prophesized the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ. He
was believed to have written chapters 1-39 in The Book of Isaiah
with the balance of the book authored by several other prophets.
 Jeremiah, Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome

God called Jeremiah a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall
(Jer 1:18); a tester and refiner of metals, a tower and fortress (Jer
6:27); a man through whom He would speak against false prophets
and shepherds who mislead their sheep. Is not my word like fire,
declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
(Jer 23:29) Jeremiah would be the voice of that word. Hated and
feared by many, yet secretly sought by the king, He belonged to no
one but God, was indebted to no one but God. He was totaliter aliter
(totally other).
Indeed, Jeremiah was the best kind of prophet, a reluctant one (Jer
1:6). Beware the eager prophets, the self-appointed ones who seize
the mantle as a pretext for their anger and opinions. They claim to
speak for God, but He says of them, I did not send the prophets, yet
they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied (Jer 23:21).
God had always known Jeremiah and had laid the foundation for his
ministry: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you
were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations
(Jer 1:5).
 Ezekiel Biography

Prophet, Priest
UPDATED:
AUG 13, 2019
ORIGINAL:
APR 2, 2014

Ezekiel was a biblical prophet and priest of ancient Israel who was the
subject and in part the author of an Old Testament book that bears his
name.
Synopsis
Ezekiel's ministry was conducted in Jerusalem and Babylon in the first three
decades of the 6th century. Before the first surrender of Jerusalem, he was
a functioning priest. He was among those deported in 597 to Babylonia.
Ezekiel's religious call came in July 592. He subsequently prophesied until
585 and then was not heard of again until 572. His latest utterance can be
dated at about 570.
 Amos Facts

Amos (active 8th century B.C.), the first of the literary prophets of ancient Israel, was the author
of the biblical book bearing his name.
Amos was born in the Judean town of Tekoa, near modern Bethlehem, Israel. His activities
probably took place during the reign of Uzziah, also called Azariah, King of Judah (reigned 783-
742 B.C.), and Jeroboam II, King of Israel (reigned 786-745).
In his youth Amos was a shepherd. As a young man he tells of having received a divine
commandment to go to the Israelite shrine at Bethel. Once there, he proceeded to fulminate
against the popular errors of his day and was ousted by the head priest, Amaziah. Apparently,
Amos was a prophet for only a short time, and he did not write down his prophetic messages and
utterances. At that time, oracles such as those of Amos were preserved in an oral tradition; that
is, they were transmitted by spoken word among Temple circles at Jerusalem. Amos's prophecies
were probably written down before the kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 721
B.C.
Obadiah is not only the shortest prophecy, but also the
shortest book of the Old Testament. The author was Obadiah,
whose name means “the servant of the Eternal.”
The prophecy is largely concerned with the condemnation of
Edom (descendants of Esau) for treachery toward their brother
Israel (descendants of Jacob) and the resultant punishment
Edom will endure.
 Jonah
identified as a prophet and servant of God during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (2
Kings 14:24-25)—between 792 and 753 B.C. (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible). Jonah’s name means
“dove”; and his commission, as recorded in the book of Jonah, was to convey a message from
God to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh.

The book of Jonah gives no indication of his prophetic activity in the land of Israel. It merely
begins with an instruction from God to go to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants. “Arise, go to
Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me”
(1:2).

Nineveh was founded by Nimrod shortly after the Flood (Genesis 10:11-12); and as capital of the
Assyrian empire, it rose to power about 900 B.C. Years later, Assyria began the process of
conquering Israel, and Jonah clearly saw this nation as an enemy and feared what it would
eventually do. By 721 B.C. the Assyrian army had destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel.

The Assyrians were extremely brutal and cruel, even skinning their captives alive. The prophet
Nahum describes them as lions, tearing and feeding on the nations (Nahum 2:11-13).
The city of Nineveh eventually fell to the invading armies of the Babylonians and Medes (about
607 B.C.).
The Prophet Micah
Little is known about the personal life of the prophet Micah. He came from a town called Moreshet, and
was therefore called Morashti. He lived during the reign of king Jotham of Judah, and succeeding kings, about
150 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian hosts. In this time, as often before him and
after him, the people of both Judah and of the Northern Kingdom, had abandoned the ways of G d. Jerusalem
and Samaria, the capitals of the two Jewish kingdoms, were centers of idol worship and bad living. The rich
oppressed the poor, and the laws of the Torah were rejected.

Prophecies of Michah
Fearlessly, as the prophecy of G d rested on him, Micah came out to denounce the evils that had filled his
beloved land. He warned that Samaria and Jerusalem would be destroyed. The prophecy about Samaria was
fulfilled only a short time later, less than a quarter of a century; it was destroyed by Shalmaneser, king of
Assyria, in the year 3205 (after Creation). Jerusalem existed for another 133 years, and was destroyed in the
year 3338
 Nahum's prophecies
Nahum, an Old Testament prophet, lived about 2600
years ago. He is believed to have delivered his prophecies about
Nineveh shortly before they were fulfilled. Some of his
prophecies include long-term predictions that we today can
judge to be accurate. Nineveh was an important city within the
Assyrian Empire. The empire had conquered the kingdom of
Israel in about 722 BC, about 2700 years ago.
The conquest was ruthless and devastating. Nineveh, according to the Bible, was to
be punished for its treatment of Israel.

In 612 BC (about 2600 years ago), a coalition of Babylonians, Scythians and Medes
conquered Nineveh. As Nahum had said more than 2600 years ago, Nineveh would
never recover from its defeat. As we can see today, Nahum was right.
 Habakkuk
was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles
and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of
the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible.[1] He
is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Almost all the information we have about Habakkuk is drawn
from the book of the Bible bearing his name,[2] with no
biographical details provided other than his title, "the
prophet".[3] Outside the Bible, he is mentioned over the
centuries in the forms of Christian and Rabbinic tradition.[4][5]

Life
Almost nothing is known about Habakkuk, aside from what are stated within the book of the Bible
bearing his name, or those inferences that may be drawn from that book.[2] His name appears in the Bible
only in Habakkuk 1:1 and 3:1, with no biographical details provided other than his title "the prophet."[3]
Even the origin of his name is uncertain.[1]
For almost every other prophet, more information is given, such as the name of the prophet's hometown, his
occupation, or information concerning his parentage or tribe
 Zephaniah’s prophetic revelations and stern warnings occurred during Josiah’s
reign (Zephaniah 1:1), and this would place his writings between 640 and 609 B.C.
Josiah led Judah to religious and social reform, but Zephaniah declared that these
spiritual changes would not last. The people of Judah would return to wickedness and
rebellion against God.

The northern kingdom of Israel was already in captivity, and Babylon was gaining in
power and prestige. God had determined that the Babylonians would be His instrument
to punish the nation of Judah. Zephaniah and his contemporaries, Jeremiah and
Habakkuk, were some of the prophets God used to pronounce this warning message.
Main theme
The theme of the book is the Day of the Lord. Despite the fact that Zephaniah warns Judah of impending
doom, the prophecy is dual, and the major fulfillment of his prophecy is yet future. Although the prophet’s
pronouncements focus on Jerusalem, nations nearby (Assyria, Ethiopia, Moab and Ammon) and all other nations
of the earth are included in the warnings (Zephaniah 1:2-3; 3:6, 8, 20).
This book points forward to the dramatic and earthshaking events that will unfold before the return of Christ to
the earth (1:9, 15-18).
 Haggai (/ˈhæɡaɪ/; Hebrew: – ‫חַ גַי‬Ḥaggay; Koine Greek: Ἀγγαῖος; Latin: Aggaeus)
was a Hebrew prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and one
of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the author of the Book of Haggai.
He is known for his prophecy in 520 BCE, commanding the Jews to rebuild the
Temple.[1] His name means "my holiday." He was the first of three post-exile prophets
from the Neo-Babylonian Exile of the House of Judah (with Zechariah, his contemporary,
and Malachi, who lived about one hundred years later), who belonged to the period of
Jewish history which began after the return from captivity in Babylon.

Scarcely anything is known of his personal history. He may have been

one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. He began
God’s prophesy about sixteen years after the return of the Jews to
Judah (ca. 520 BCE). The work of rebuilding the temple had been put
to a stop through the intrigues of the Samaritans. After having been
suspended for eighteen years, the work was resumed through the
efforts of Haggai and Zechariah.[2] They exhorted the people, which
roused them from their lethargy, and induced them to take advantage
of a change in the policy of the Persian government under Darius I.
The name Haggai, with various vocalizations, is also found in the Book
of Esther, as a eunuch servant of the Queen.
 Zechariah

was a person in the Hebrew Bible and traditionally considered

the author of the Book of Zechariah, the eleventh of the Twelve
Minor Prophets. He was a prophet of the Kingdom of Judah, and,
like the prophet Ezekiel, was of priestly extraction.

The book of Zechariah introduces the prophet as the son of Berechiah, the
son of Iddo (Zechariah 1:1). The book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo (Ezra 5:1 and Ezra 6:14),
but it is likely that Berechiah was Zechariah's father, and Iddo was his grandfather.

His prophetical career probably began in the second year of Darius, king of Persia (520 BC). His greatest
concern appears to have been with the building of the Second Temple.
He was probably not the "Zechariah" mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (23:35) and the Gospel
of Luke (11:51); Zechariah ben Jehoiada was more likely intended.
 Malachi the Prophet
God said, “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7).

The book of Malachi is placed as the last book of the Prophets section, which also makes it the last
book in the Old Testament in English Bibles. The Hebrew word Malachi simply means “My [that is,
God’s] messenger.”

Malachi was a prophet of God sent to the Jews who had resettled in Judea and to all Israel in
general, depicted as “the sons of Jacob” (Malachi 3:6). Toward the close of the book, it becomes
clear that God is also speaking to all of humankind. He will not endure man’s sins forever, and a day
of judgment is coming. God also reveals through Malachi that He will hold back His wrath if people
will return to Him.
When the Jews began returning from their 70 years of Babylonian captivity, God directed them to
begin restoring Jerusalem and building the second temple, often called Zerubbabel’s temple. The
completion of the new temple by 516 B.C. allowed the Jews to carry out the ritual services of the
sanctuary (Malachi 1:10; 3:10).
Many years later the walls of Jerusalem were also rebuilt under Nehemiah. Malachi appears to have
been a contemporary of the governor Nehemiah, indicated by many common themes between the
two writers.