Introduction:
Many historians believe that the books of the Prophets have already been fulfilled. However the prophesies in the books of Ezekiel, Joel, Malachi and Zephaniah have never been fulfilled. In fact the book of Joel and Zephaniah are specially written for the end times.
Also practically everyone of the books of the prophets refer the “latter days”. Prophesy is designed by God to repeat itself. Many of the previous fulfilled prophesies are set to fulfill again.
Ecc 3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
Before the fall of Northern Kingdom –Amos, Micah, Isaiah and Hosea
All of these prophets Amos, Micah, Isaiah and Hosea lived during the fall of the North Tribes. Amos and Hosea prophesied against the Northern tribes. Micah and Isaiah prophesied against Judah.
Book of Amos (792 BC-740 BC).
To :Northern Tribes
TimeFrame: during the days of King Uzziah (792-740 BC), and King Jeroboam II of Israel (793-753 BC)
He Prophesied almost 50 years before the fall of Israel. The book was written at the high of Israel’s prosperity. Jeroboam II 793-753 BC. Reigned 41 years. He expanded the boundaries of Israel. He took W Lebanon coastal plain and N Damascus. He Took control Moab and Defeated Judah (Commerce thrived 8:5,Upper class emerged 4:1-3, had expensive homes 3:15 5:11, The enjoyed an indulgent lifestyle. 6 :1-6) They were at their zenith in prosperity when the warning came from Amos. Within 50 years the nation went under!
Amos was a sycamore farmer. He was a native of the southern kingdom of Judah, from the town of Tekoa — about six miles south of Bethlehem, twelve miles south of Jerusalem.
“I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet but the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’ And now hear the Word of the Lord!” (Amos 7:14-16).
He was from Judah (the southern kingdom), Nevertheless, God sent him to Israel to proclaim the Word to the people of the northern kingdom.
Book of Hosea (753 – 715 BC)-
He began his ministry 23 years before the fall of Israel. The name Hosea comes from the Hebrew language. It means salvation. It is believed Hosea was a native of Samaria because he refers to the ruler of Samaria as our king” (Hosea 7:5). His family seems to be of significant social standing for the name of his father to be mentioned (Hosea 1:1). He was the prophet to the Northern 10 tribes before their captvity.
Micah (740 and 695 BC)
To: Both Houses
Timeframe: He lived during the time of Isaiah. His prophesies were spoken during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (715 – 687 BCE), placing his dates then between about 740 and 695 BC.
Prophesied to both houses. Micah was from Moresheth, about twenty miles southwest of Jerusalem on the Philistine border, in Judah. He prophesied to both Jerusalem and Samaria, though his principle ministry was to the Southern Kingdom. His prophesy was remembered and respected in the days of Jeremiah, and his words convinced the king not to put Jeremiah to death (Jeremiah 26:18-19).
Isaiah (701-681 BC)
To: Judah
Timeframe: Isaiah was written between between 701 and 681 BC
Isaiah 1:1
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah (783 – 742 BC), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
King Uzziah, King of Judah, offered Incense in the temple. Because he did that, God struck him with leprosy. There was a also a great earthquake at the same time. His son Jotham took over the government, with Uzziah living on until 740/739 BC.
Isaiah began his ministry the year king Uzziah died in 739 BC. At the same time year in Israel, King Pekah became king of Israel. Isaiah lived during the period that Assyria told Israel captive. They had also captived Syria (Aram) and Canaan. Isaiah was in the temple with Hezekiah praying the night King Sennacherib of Assyria threatened Jerusalem itself. Isaiah was with Hezekiah when the 185,000 Assyrians were killed by a Meorite shower in 687 BC. Manessah co-regent with his father Hezekiah in 697/696 BC, with his sole reign beginning in 687/686 BC. Isaiah was sawed in half during the reign of Manasseh. Manassah was taken captive by the Assyrian king and was in prison for 37 years. There he repented and ask God for a second chance to rule righteously which God granted to Manessah. He stopped all pagan worship during his reign.
He told how Cyrus would subdue the nations and issue the decree of the people of Judah to return back to Jerusalem.
Isaiah 13:17-18. Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.
18 Their bows will slaughterthe young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.
Isa_44:28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Isa 45:1,3,4 ‘Thus says the Lord to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held – To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings… That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name Am the God of Israel… I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.'”
Fall of the Assyrians
After the fall of the Northern Tribes, Assyrian Empire only lasted 90 years. In 687 BC Sennanirub attempted to take Jerusalem ending in 185,000 Assyrians soldiers killed in a Meorite event. This weakened the Assyrian army.
At this timeframe Isaiah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakuk and Micah witnessed Assyria fall to the Babylons, Medes and the Scythians in 612 BC. Scythians came into to Judah and restored peace. Josiah ruled under the reign of the Scythians for 28 years. Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight, after the assassination of his father, King Amon, and reigned for thirty-one years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BC. It was under his reign that the law was found by the high Priest Hilkiah. Josiah was 26 years old when the law was found. They had this great Passover celebration. Josiah removed all paganism from the land. He even dug up the bones of the pagan priest and burned them on the pagan alters.
Book of Nahum (663 and 612 BC)
To: Assyria
Timeframe: After the fall of Egypt to Assyria in 653 BC
First, Nahum mentions Thebes in Egypt falling to the Assyrians 663 BC. This event is written in the past tense, meaning it had already happened. Second, the remainder of Nahum’s prophecies came true in 612 B.C. The subject of Nahum’s prophecy is the approaching complete and final destruction of Nineveh the capital of the great and at that time flourishing Assyrian empire. Assur-bani-pal was at the height of his glory. Nineveh was a city of vast extent, and was then the center of the civilization and commerce of the world, a “bloody city all full of lies and robbery” (Nahum 3:1),
Before the fall of Jerusalem – Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakuk
Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakuk witnessed the fall of Assyria.
Book of Jeremiah (640 –580 BC)
To: Both Houses
Timeframe: Was written during the time of King Josiah 640 to 610 through the fall of Jerusalem.
Jeremiah prophesied to the Northern Tribes after they had gone into captivity. Israel had been in Scythia for 119 years by the time of Jeremiah’s prophecy.
Jer 3:12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Jeremiah was to bring the daughters of Zedikiah to another land.
1Ki 9:5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom uponIsraelfor ever, asI promised toDavidthy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a manuponthe throne of Israel
Prophet Nathan told David in I Ch 17 that God promised his seed would establish a kingdom.
1Ch 17:11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
1Ch 17:12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.
Now we know that the Pharez Kingship stopped with captivity of Judah. So in order for God to fulfill his promise he made to David he would have to move David descendants to a different a throne. How did God fulfill his promise to David ?The Prophet Jeremiah felt he had a commission “to Plant”
Jer 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
Jeremiah understood that he was to plant a kingdom.
Jer 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
According to the Messiah, the kingdom was taken from the Jews in Jerusalem given to another nation.
Matthew 21:43: “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof’“.
There was a “tender one” that would be planted.
Eze 17:22 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent:
According to an Irish legend, Tea Tephi, Zedekiah’s daughter, was taken to Ireland to marry a King of the Zarah line of Judah. HOWEVER, TEA TEPHI IS NOT RECORDED IN THE WRITTEN HISTORY OF THE IRELAND. That does not mean the legend did not occur. It means that the legend was not written down. The only historical reference we have is a poem written about her in 500 A.D.
What we do know is that the daughters of the king were with Jeremiah after the captivity. He took them to Egypt to Tahpanhes. There is archeological evidence that Tahpanhes was the palace for the Jewish daughters.
“Even men, and women, and children, AND THE KING’S DAUGHTERS… and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. So they came into the land of Egypt… thus came they even to Tahpanhes” (JEREMIAH 43:6,7).
Archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie dug at Tahpanhes in A.D. 1886 and found that the fortress mound was still called “Qasr Bint el Yehudi” meaning the “PALACE OF THE JEW’S DAUGHTER”.
Jeremiah Burial Stone
See information from website for Cairn T, Loughcrew Cairn T, Loughcrew Oldcastle, Co. Meath, Ireland. It is believed to be the burial place of Jeremiah.
On the tombstone, there is a Eagle with the twig in its mouth. This comes straight from the book of Ezekiel.
Stone of Scone is brought to England
When the Irish capitol of Tara fell, Columba carried the Lia Fail (Stone of Scone) from Tara to mysterious Iona with COLUMBA and his twelve assistants. KENNETH MAC-ALPIN moved the Coronation Stone to the Abbey of Scone from the castle of Dunstaffnage. Later, the Stone of Scone was removed from Scotland as a part of booty by Edward I of England. William Wallace intended to return the stone back to Scotland. But he was beheaded by Edward I for his attempt to over throw the King of England.
According to the treaty of Northampton of 1328, peace was restored between the Scotland and England. King Edward III of England promised to return the Stone to its rightful owners forthwith. A promise they never kept. However, they did arrange a marriage with William Bruce’s daughter and .and Edward’s sister. Joanna the six-year-old sister of Edward III, was promised in marriage to the four-year-old David, the son of Robert Bruce, and the marriage duly took place on 17 July the same year. .Britain felt they had a right to the stone because they descended from the lineage Trojan King Britus. The stone was removed from the Westminister Abbey in 1950 and returned to Scotland where it resides today.
Book of Habakkuk (606 BC-?)
To: Babylon
Timeframe: 606 BC
Contemporary of Jeremiah. He foretold about the fall of Babylon. Babylon fell about 100 years later in 539. The account of his ministering to the needs of Daniel in the lions’ den in the Apocryphal book Bel and the Dragon is legendary rather than historical.
Hab 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
Book of Zephaniah (640 BC – 609 BC)
To: End Time
Timeframe: Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). Zeph 1:1
But this book is written for the end times. It also prophesies the fall of Assyria. (Zeph 2:13) Verse 7, 14, 15 refer the” day of the Lord is at hand”.
Zep 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
Zep 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zep 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
During the Captivity of Judah – Daniel, Ezekiel, Obadiah
Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom fell in 586 BC to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakuk probably lived during this timeframe.
Book of Ezekiel (598 B.C in Chobar)
To: NorthernTribes
Timeframe: (598 BC)
The Book of Ezekiel was written to the Northern Tribes. It was written 135 years after the fall of the Northern Tribes. Some believe that the Northern Tribes had disappeared or mixed into the tribes of Judah. If they are no longer a seperate nation why would Ezekiel write to them? The prophesies in the book of Ezekiel are yet to be fulfilled.
Book of Obadiah
To: Edomites
Timeframe: 585 BC He describes the fall of Jerusalem
This book was written to the Edomites.
History of Edomites
Edomites inhabited the “country of Edom” which would refer to Mount Seir and Idumea. Obadiah describes in 11-14 is the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587-586 BC. (Psalm 137:7 and 1 Esdras 4:45). The Edomites aided Nebuchadnezzar in his conquest of Jerusalem. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar gave portions of Judah to the Edomites after the fall of Jerusalem. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah in chapter 49. This also explains why Jeremiah had been exhorting the Judah to destroy the Edomites. Lamentations 4:21, Amos 1:11,12, and Obadiah 8-10.
By the late sixth century BC, Arabs had largely pushed the Edomites out of the area of Petra, which had at one time been the Edomite capital. The Nabataeans (Arabs) were the first of God’s whips against the Edomites; for the Nabataeans pushed the Edomites to the West into a small parcel of land next to Judah called Negev or Idumea (1 Esdras 4:50) Verse 7 states that the Edomites have been driven out of their old land ( Mal. 1:3-4).
Idumea border was only 16 miles from the city of Jerusalem. The territory occupied by the Judah according to verses 19-20 is the area just around Jerusalem, as in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 11:25-36). Placing the prophecy fulfillment in mid fifth century BC. During the time of the Maccabees, Judah turned against the Edomites captured and destroyed Hebron and Maresha.(see Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 13.257).
It is important to note that John Hyrcanus I, king of Judea, 134-104 BC, subjugated Edom in fulfillment of the above prophecies, “that Jacob shall lay Esau by the heel.” Hyrcanus “permitted the Idumeans to remain in their country as free men if they would be circumcised and observe Jewish law.”
Verses 8-10 announce the future extermination of the Edomites. The final destruction of Idumea talked about in the book of Obadiah came later. God’s final whip against the Edomites was Rome. For the Romans used 20,000 of the Idumeans as allies in the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD. But afterwards, the Romans annihilated the Idumeans, stating simply that they were a lawless and despicable race.
FALL OF BABYLON 539 BC
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Habakkuk and Daniel all prophesied that the Medes and the Persians would overtake the Babylonian Empire. Now Isaiah lived and prophecied 140 years before the time of King Cyrus.
Jeremiah also prophecied about Cyrus.
Jeremiah 51:28. Another prophecy said Prepare the nations for war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors land deputies, and every under their dominion.
Jeremiah 51:11.Sharpen the arrows! Take up the shields!
The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple.
PROPHECY AFTER THE FALL OF JERUSALEM
Many Bible Scholars claim that the books of the Prophets have already been fulfilled and have little importance for Christians today. They feel most of the books were fulfilled by the time of the captivity of Jerusalem in 585 BC.
However they can’t explain away the prophecy in Daniel chapter 11 with this argument. Daniel chapter 11 prophecies span from the time of Daniel until the rise of the Roman Catholic Church. Chapter 11 talks about Julius Caesar, all of the Persian Kings, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and the rise of the Roman Empire and Catholic Church. It explains history so precisely that it has become strumbling block for modern historians.
Dan 11 – Who were the Kings of the North and South?
(Research information from DANIEL ELEVEN, Verse by Verse Written by Ulrike Unruh)
World Power Moves from Persian to Greek Kings
Daniel 11:2
Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
The Persian kings who followed Cyrus were; Cambyses (529-522) who conquered Egypt, Smerdis (522-521) Darius the Great(521-485), who started the wars against the Persians, and the fourth is Xerxes who ruled (486-465 B.C.)
Forty years after Cyrus decreed that Israel return to Jerusalem. Most people were still in Babylon; they were too comfortable in Babylon. However God wanted them out of Babylon. God allowed Xerxes to issue a decree against them. A death decree! But God also made a way of escape for them.
Daniel 8:4 refers to the Persian kings as the Ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward, who became great.
Both Darius and Xerxes attacked the Greek States. Darius’ attempt was not very successful, but Xerxes did bring troops against the Greek States. The Persian fleet was all but annihilated and Xerxes retreated. However, the Greeks saw a chance to gain power. Thus the prophetic picture now leaves the Persian Empire and focuses on Greece.
Daniel 11.3
And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
This text is the same as Daniel 8:5 refers the He Goat who came from the west with the horn between his eyes. The horn is identified in Daniel 8:21 as the first king of Grecia who is Alexander 333-323 B.C and he defeats the Persian “ram”.
Daniel 11.4
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
Alexander the Great is that mighty king. Daniel 8:5-8 speaks of this “he-goat” coming from the west and tramping the ram which was Persia.
“The he-goat waxed very great and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds (four directions) of heaven. (Dan. 8:8)
At the height of Alexander’s campaign, he died in the land of Babylon. He actually ruled from Babylon and was worhshiped as a god. His kingdom then divided among his four generals:
South (Egypt) was ruled by Ptolemy,
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‘For the Romans used 20,000 of the Idumeans as allies in the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD.’ Is that true, did not some Idumeans align with (and/or were circumcised into Judea) other groups i.e.. Zealots and fight against the Romans? Thank you for this information it is very helpful.
Yes they were aligned with Rome — and fought again the Jews in 70 AD
Thank you for this information it is very helpful.
you are welcome!