Internet Bible Institute
LECTURE 7 - THE PROPHETS AND HISTORY
Reading Assignment:
Bible Reading: Ezekiel
Text Reading: pp 261-267
ENTERING A CRUCIAL AREA OF BIBLICAL STUDY - A REVIEW OF OT
HISTORY
Since the remainder of the lectures will center about the writings of the Prophets, I
believe it is time to stop and review the definition of a prophet, the purpose of prophecy,
and the timing of the prophets. Remember the Hebrew Scriptures consist of the Law,
the Prophets, and the Writings. The Law represented the first five books of the
Scriptures. They are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Moses
wrote them all under God’s direction.
A prophet is a spokesman of God, given authority for the office by God. His message is
God’s message and may be contemporary or may be of a future event. By contemporary
we mean in the prophet’s lifetime.
DEFINITION: Prophecy’s purpose is to reveal the promise keeping
trustworthiness of God.
We will see this demonstrated in the lecture with our study of our next prophet,
Habakkuk.
The timing of the various writings of the prophets is relevant only as it relates to the
history of nations and Israel in particular. The nations that affected Israel during the
Old Testament times are;
Egypt
Assyria
Babylon
Persia/Media
God uses these nations, along with Israel, to demonstrate His attributes and to carry
out His plan of history. With each kingdom there was some overlap between the times
of their empires. In each era, one nation predominated. With time the growth of a new
empire threaten the current empire and with the demise of the first, the second came
into dominance.
GENTILE KINGDOMS
The first true empire was Egypt, which played a significant role in the early days of the
patriarchs [2100 -1770 BC] and the birth of Israel [1445 - 1043 BC]. Following years
under judges, God formed an Israeli monarchy with the ascension of Saul. David and
then his son, Solomon, succeeded Saul. Each king reigned 40 years. In 931 BC the
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kingdom of Israel divided between the northern 10 tribes [called Israel] and the
southern 2 tribes [called Judah]. The prophets all wrote after the division and each
prophet spoke in relation to either of the kingdoms.
King
Saul
David
Solomon
Reign 40 years 40 years 40 years
The Assyrian empire rose to preeminence following the decline of the Egyptian empire.
Jonah, the prophet, went to the Assyrian capital of Nineveh to warn of God’s coming
judgment. Not until 60 years after their repentance, did God bring down this empire in
609 BC, following the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC.
As one empire faded from the world scene, another had already been in the “wings.” The
new or Neo-Babylonian empire began with Nabopolassar in 626 BC. As Neo-Babylon
grew to world dominance, the seeds of the next empire were being sown with the
ascension of Cyaxares, the first of the Median kings in 625 BC. The root of the coming
Mede-Persian Empire grew from his rule. While reviewing this repetitive process of
empire succeeding empire, it is well for us to remember Nebuchadnezzar, the great king
of Babylon, wrote the following observation, recorded in the Book of Daniel,
WRITE OUT: Daniel 4:17
Any understanding of the writing of the prophets requires an overview and
understanding of the empires of their day.
By 550 BC, the Mede-Persian Empire ruled the world. However, in this year, the
Medians had lost their power in this shared empire, and the Persian kings now
controlled it. The succession would continue as the Greeks conquered the Mede-Persian
Empire and become the next world empire, only to be followed by the Romans. Thus, a
secession of empires constantly threatened, intervened, and interacted with the tiny
nation of Israel throughout the entire Old Testament.
THE PROPHETS AND THE EMPIRES
Let us now see how the prophets fit in these times and these kingdoms. Their writings
would reflect those conditions. We have already seen how Joel wrote of the impending
invasion of the Assyrians in 701 BC. Jonah went and preached to this very same nation
and witnessed the resultant repentance of Nineveh. Before we look into Habakkuk and
see the Lord’s message through him, lets see how the prophetical writings fit with
history.
The prophets wrote over a period of 500 years, beginning in the 9th Century and
continuing until the 5th Century. We have already covered the fact that Obadiah and
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Joel were the first writing prophets, both writing during the 9th Century. Jonah’s
ministry was in the next century, while Assyria was a still powerful foe to Israel [look
back at the chart in Lesson 6 showing the time relationships between the prophets].
During the 8th Century, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, and Micah prophesied of a coming
judgment upon the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah. They also offered future hope
of restoration. This is a significant theme among the prophets. While Israel and Judah
deserved judgment for their breaking of the Covenant and for their religious apathy
toward the Lord, God always reminds them of a coming restoration.
ISRAEL - THE NORTHERN TEN TRIBES
In 722 BC, God’s judgment began with the northern kingdom of Israel. For at least a
generation after Jonah’s ministry, Assyria had allowed Israel to go its own way.
Perhaps this was a result of their repentance and God’s patience. These conditions
changed when a new Assyrian king came to power. Tiglath-pileser III ascended to the
throne in 745 BC. Being a former general, he began a fresh Assyrian conquest [Davis &
Whitcomb, 429].
By 743 BC, writing about the King of Israel, Tiglath-pileser wrote,
As for Menahem, I overwhelmed him like a snowstorm and he . . . fled like a bird,
alone, and bowed to my feet [ANET, 283-284].
Israel bought off the Assyrians with 50 shekels of silver for each man [60,000 men - 2
Kings 15:20]. Assyria remained satisfied until Israel attempted to force Judah into an
alliance against Assyria. These intrigues were too much for Assyria. The Assyrians
came down upon Israel and conquered it once again. This time the Assyrian set up a
puppet king over Israel. Tiglath-pileser III wrote,
They [his armies] overthrew their king Pekah and I placed Hoshea as king over
them. I received from them ten talents of gold, 1000 talents of silver as their
tribute, and brought them to Assyria [Davis & Whitcomb, 431].
Five years later, following the death of the Assyrian king, the new king, Shalmaneser V
began a siege of the capital city of Samaria. Shalmaneser died just after the successful
siege, and Sargon II completed the conquest [722 BC]. Rather than taking just tribute,
he intermixed the peoples of several conquered countries and thus destroyed national
resistance by destroying national identity. This mass mixing of peoples resulted in the
people of Samaria losing all Jewish identity, including religious and national ties with
Judah. As a result, the people of Judah would forever treat them as Gentiles, i.e.,
pagans (see John 4).
A chronicler wrote of this history in 2 Kings 17:7-18 and listed “20 reasons why God’s
judgment was so richly deserved [Ibid., 455].” As a result, the land of the northern
kingdom was dramatically changed. The change was not just in the nationality of the
people. Even the environment of Samaria was altered. So much so, that lions began to
multiply beyond control in fulfillment of the covenantal promise of Leviticus 26:21-22.
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STOP AND READ:
Leviticus 26:21-22
We will see the significance of this later in the lecture.
JUDAH - THE SOUTHERN TWO TRIBES
In 701 BC, the Assyrian army general, Sennacherib, unsuccessfully attempted an
invasion of the Southern Kingdom. Sennacherib was the son of the Assyrian king,
Sargon II. Upon his accession to the throne, Sennacherib strengthened the army to
enable it to collect the heavy tribute owed the powerful empire of Assyria. Hezekiah,
fearing another invasion, readily offered up tribute to King Sennacherib [2 Kings 18:1316]. Despite all that was given to the Assyrian, Judah’s fear continued.
This is but one more example in history that shows that national capitulation never
works, it merely delays the inevitable. Sennacherib’s appetite for power and wealth only
grew greater as he eyed Judah. We now turn to 2 Kings 18 to read the account of what
follows. In verse 12 we see God allowed the Northern Kingdom to be successfully
invaded and taken into exile because
... they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant,
and all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and would not hear them
nor do them.
2 Kings 18:12
In 2 Kings 19, Sennacherib comes to Jerusalem demanding more control and tribute.
King Hezekiah of Judah prays for the Lord’s deliverance [vv. 14-19]. He based his plea
not on the faithfulness of the Jews, rather upon God’s power. The key verse is 19.
Now therefore O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand that
all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou art the Lord God, even Thou
only.
In response to this prayer, God sends a clear message to both Hezekiah and to
Sennacherib. To Hezekiah, God gives three assurances in 2 Kings 19.
Sennacherib is a mere instrument in the hands of a sovereign
God - vv. 21-28
The remnant of Israel will prosper again - vv. 29-31
The Assyrians will not touch Jerusalem - vv. 32-34
To Sennacherib,
And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in
the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they
arose early in the morning, behold they were all dead corpses.
2 Kings 19:35
There are two very important points in this verse, especially relating to Habakkuk’s
questions of the LORD. First, note that the deaths of the 185,000 men came at the hand
of “the angel of the LORD.” Some have speculated that a plague of mice came through
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and infested the camp. Herodotus (ii, 141) claimed that mice ate the bowstrings and
leather shield handles of the Assyrians. Other sources indicate that actually a bubonic
plague spread through the camp. However, no plague ever destroyed that many in just
one night.
NOTE: Man always seeks to avoid the obvious that in this case is that
God supernaturally interfered in history that night.
The second very important point is that the “angel of the LORD” is the pre-incarnate
Jesus Christ. Thus, God Himself destroyed the Assyrian army and delivered Judah. The
term “the angel of the Lord” as used in the Old Testament is unquestionably deity.
Further, a careful study of the terms use and the absence of it in the New Testament
demonstrates that it is Jesus Christ (cf. Genesis 16:7, 9-11; 22:11, 15; Exodus 3:2;
Numbers 22:22-27, 31-32, 34-35; Judges 6:11-12, 21-22; 13:3, 143,15-18, 20-21] [Showers,
157]. Renald Showers book, Those Invisible Spirits Called Angels has an excellent
chapter discussing the basis for this doctrine.
It is interesting that when one reads Sennacherib’s account [ANET, 288] of the
attempted capture of Jerusalem, there is no mention of a successful campaign. He
describes the tribute and there are many references to other conquests in Judah
[specifically, 46 strong cities of Judah], yet no mention of victory over its capital. In the
Assyrian way of proclaiming deeds, this is the equivalent of admitting defeat. This is
further confirmed by the historical fact that the Assyrians did not return for tribute or
battle for another 13 years [Davis and Whitcomb, 459].
NEO-BABYLONIAN OR CHALDEAN EMPIRE
With the start of the 7th Century, Nahum proclaimed God’s coming judgment upon
Nineveh. In 612 BC, that judgment and destruction comes. The Assyrian empire ends
and is no longer on the world scene. Overcoming the Assyrian empire is the Chaldean or
Neo-Babylonian Empire. With the ascension [626 BC] of Nabopolassar as king, the
Chaldean kingdom becomes a world empire. By 605 BC, his son, Nebuchadnezzar
defeated Egypt and completed the Chaldean dominance of the known world. This
success was prophesied by Jeremiah (46:2, 10, 11) and was fulfilled at the famous battle
of Carchemish. The Egyptians were driven south of Judah. Babylon’s empire was
established. Babylon now had conquered Syria, Phoenicia, and all of the north and
south of Israel.
Pursuing the remnant of Egypt’s army, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem.
Jeremiah had warned Judah of the coming Babylonian victory (Jeremiah 25:1-11), yet
the Jewish people ignored his and God’s warnings. Jehoiakim, then king of Judah,
surrendered, but was allowed to remain in Jerusalem for the present (2 Chronicles
36:6). Upon the death of Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar hurriedly return to Babylon
and assumed the throne of his father. Three years later, despite Jeremiah’s warnings
and prophecies, Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. He died in December of
598 BC, while being taken to Babylon in exile.
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Jehoiachin succeeded his father. Under his rule Jerusalem was captured on March 15,
597 BC. Over 10,000 leading citizens were deported to Babylon and a puppet king,
Zedekiah, was enthroned. It was at this point, that Ezekiel, the prophet, was
transported to Babylon and from there that he issued his prophecies.
With time, Zedekiah rebelled, and the Babylonians returned to siege and to conquer
Judah. As the successful final siege of Jerusalem began, Ezekiel’s wife died graphically
signifying the coming destruction of God’s sanctuary in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 24:1, 15-24).
Ezekiel was telling the people in Babylon that the fall of Jerusalem was inevitable. At
the same time, Jeremiah was proclaiming it in Jerusalem. By giving God’s Word
without compromise, the people rewarded Jeremiah by
putting him into stocks (Jeremiah 20;1-3)
challenging him publicly (Jeremiah 2*;1-11)
throwing him into prisons (Jeremiah 37:15,21)
putting him into a cistern full of mire (Jeremiah 38;6)
Such was the life of a prophet of God. On July 18, 586 BC, Jerusalem fell fulfilling the
prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. There no longer was an Israel, either divided or
whole.
Daniel, the prophet, read Jeremiah’s prophecy and determined that this captivity would
last 70 years. Daniel served faithfully in Babylon during that Captivity and from
Babylon wrote prophecies concerning the future of Babylon and the succeeding world
empires. He also supported the other prophets, in saying that there would be an
eventual restoration of the Hebrew people to their land.
THE LAST OF THE PROPHETS
At this point, only three prophets; Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi, remained before
God ceased speaking through prophets until the coming Messiah. For four hundred
years, Israel would have no word from God. From Malachi to the Birth of the Savior,
God gave no utterances to the people. The Neo-Babylonian Empire fell in 539 BC to the
Mede-Persian Empire. The Persian king, Cyrus, allowed the Jews to return to the land
of Israel and to begin a restoration of the Temple. Approximately 50,000 Jewish people
returned. However, this “returning remnant” was a small percentage of the total world
Jewish population of perhaps 2,000,000.
NOTE: This return can only be called a partial return to the land.
As we look over this history, we cannot help but notice that the Jewish people, declared
by God, as His people, have suffered significantly during the years of the prophets. The
people had wandered from God and certainly became as wicked as the surrounding
nations. Throughout the time, God had sent His prophets to warn the people of coming
judgment. Defying the warnings and believing that God would not notice, they
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continued as they please. But one man would wonder, as we might, why would God hurt
His people using such wicked people and nations. People who were far more wicked and
who did not even tokenly acknowledge Him?
QUESTION? Why would God use the wicked nations, to destroy His own
nation which He created so miraculously the Exodus?
The prophet Habakkuk, would ask,
O Lord, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto Thee of
violence, and thou wilt not save! . . . Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,
and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore [why] lookest Thou upon them that deal
treacherously, and holdest Thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is
more righteous than he?
Habakkuk 1:2,13
In our lives we may well wondered “Why God allows evil to so spread and why His
righteous people suffer under it.” We would not be honest to deny ever feeling this way.
In our Tutorial let’s look at the answer given to Habakkuk in the 7th Century.
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INTERACTIVE TUTORIAL 7 - HABAKKUK
The first chapter of Habakkuk wonders if God’s judgment is twisted. These were evil
days in Judah. Israel, the northern ten tribes, had ceased to exist. Judah was
threatened by the same foe. Even worse, on the horizon were the Chaldeans. The land
knew violence, lawlessness, and blatant evils. The prophets were ignored and hated.
Habakkuk wonders if God even cares.
STOP AND WRITE: Habakkuk 1:2, 4
At this point Habakkuk was saying that from all appearances, God was silent, inactive,
and apparently unconcerned with the affairs of Judah. God had “walked” away from it
all, and especially His covenant people.
QUESTION? Have you ever wondered if God heard you, your prayers, or if
He cared?
God answered Habakkuk, but the answer only created a greater question of God’s
character.
Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will
work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For, lo,
I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march
through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
Habakkuk 1:5,6
In other words, “don’t worry Habakkuk, I am working in your day. I will bring to an end
the evil behavior of the Jewish people by destroying their country.” This was not the
answer Habakkuk wanted. Yes, the evil ways of the people and their disregard of God
would be brought to justice, BUT at the cost of the destruction of Judah at the hands of
a nation more evil? This seems like evil wins out! This was not taught in Habakkuk’s
doctrine classes. This did not seem to be the God of the Exodus.
Remember, God had given Israel life as a nation when He brought them out of Egypt.
By miracles and judgments He had delivered them. At the mount, He gave them a
constitution and set up the government of the nation. Crossing the Jordan River, under
Joshua’s leadership, He had given them great victory and they conquered the land.
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They were God’s kingdom and nation. Yet, now it seemed that God was allowing them
to come to an end. Worse, a more powerful and evil nation would take their place
[Habakkuk 1:6-11].
Habakkuk replies by showing his trust in His God. He trusted that the nation would
not die [1:12] because God is the “everlasting, . . . LORD, my God, mine Holy One” of
Israel. He recognized that the Chaldeans were the chastising instrument of God upon
Judah [1:12]. Notice he uses the term “correction.”
THINK AND WRITE: What does the word “correction” suggest or mean to
you? Use a dictionary or concordance to develop a tentative definition of “correction”
and write it here.
WHAT IS CORRECTION?
The Hebrew word for “correction” in this verse must be understood if we are to
understand Habakkuk and more importantly, to form a correct picture of God. The
word is yakah [HkayA]. This word appears 57 times in the Old Testament. It is
translated as “decide, judge, prove, rebuke, and correct.” The prime use of the term is a
judicial term. A survey of these 57 references results in the following conclusion. Yakah
“denotes education and discipline as a result of God’s judicial actions” [TWOT, 865].
The purpose of the yakah is to “rebuke, to correct, to convince or convict” by exposure of
one’s sin and calling a person to repentance as a response.
Correction is always a redirection back to the right path.
God loves His own people. His love does not change with time or circumstances. Such
love carries a great responsibility. The One loving must seek only the best for the loved.
Proverbs 3:12 says “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in
whom he delighteth.” See also; Psalms 6:1; Job 5:17; Proverbs 3:11; 10:17; 12:1; 13:18;
15:5, to name a few.
QUESTION? Why would God be un-loving if He failed to act?
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He could have chosen to act supernaturally, as He did with Ananias and Sapphira in
Acts 5. But remember, God also must demonstrate that He is sovereign over all nations
and peoples. What better way than to use those nations as His instruments. If they
recognized Him, as did Nebuchadnezzar, a soul was saved. If the instrumental nation
ignored Him, justice would then rightfully fall upon them. Thus, both God’s love and
justice were exercised through the media of His people and of His creation.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:
Interestingly, after the 70-year
captivity in Babylon, the Jewish people never again worshipped idols. To this day they
have avoided anything having the appearance of an idol. The Captivity corrected this
area.
CONDITIONS REQUIRING CORRECTION
QUESTIONS? Before you begin reading this section think about your
answers to the following questions:
What does justice mean?
What is a judge’s duty?
What do you think of corrupt judges?
God would only be just to Judah, if they clearly understood the conditions under which
they would come under correction. As citizens of God’s country they are entitled to
understand the conditions or requirements of the land. Did God clearly warn and
promise correction in the past? In Leviticus 26 God did just this. This passage not only
gives some of the basic conditions for being allowed in the earthly land of Israel, it gave
the overall method by which the Hebrews would know when they were pleasing God
and when they were failing. Without such understanding, discernment could not be
learned and thus they would not mature.
QUESTION?
What do you think discernment means or is?
For Christians, discernment is critical to pleasing our Lord. Discernment is not
inherent in the Christian, it is learned [Hebrews 5:14]. God is preparing Himself a people
for a kingdom upon this earth. That preparing includes spiritual learning in order to
prepare us to rule and reign with Him.
SOMETHING TO STUDY: Take 5 - 10 minutes and read all of
Leviticus 26 carefully. Then on a separate sheet of paper answer the
following and return your answer with your homework. [It will not be graded
but we would like to see your thinking.] What specifically does God say about the Hebrews
and the Land of Israel?
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Leviticus 26 begins by promising fruitfulness to the land and safety for the inhabitants
“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do [practice] them [vv. 35].” God reminds them that He “will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye
shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of
Egypt . . . “ [vv. 12-13]. This is the good news, but in verse 14 He gives the other side of
His care, correction. If they turn from Him and His ways [v. 14] “Then I will walk
contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins
[v. 28].” Further, He “will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword
after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste [v. 33].”
In Habakkuk’s days, the people had walked contrary. Israel, the northern ten tribes,
had sinned greatly under Ahab and the result was “scattering” by Assyria. Remember,
about the lions that I mentioned earlier? God supernaturally touched the land and
made it desolate. Now during Habakkuk, the south would experience the same
correction. The Chaldeans would come down and remove the people and scatter them.
The land in the south, once fertile would become barren. God did this to show that it is
not just “bad luck” that they were defeated by Babylon, for “bad luck” would not have
changed the land and the environment. God supernaturally changed them. God brought
judicial correction of Leviticus 26 with Judah. Judicial correction is that which
automatically comes upon them when they break the “rules of the kingdom.”
But we saw in Jonah, that God is compassionate and loving. Thus, He promises to
preserve them even “in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will
I abhor them to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them; for I am the
Lord their God [v.44].” God promises that while they are scattered and in the land of
their enemies, He will not allow His people, the Jews to be destroyed utterly. The
reason is not their goodness, but God’s goodness and truthfulness. He covenanted to
them that they were His until the sun, moon, and stars cease [Jeremiah 31:34-38].
STOP AND READ: Jeremiah 31:34-38 - What are Ordinances?
Further, in Leviticus 26:42, He promises to “remember” them based upon the
promise/covenant to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. Also the land will be restored. This
clearly demonstrated God’s control over His people and their environment.
Some commentators have said that in Chapter 2, God gives His answer, “though not in
a logical sense, but a spiritual solution which is thoroughly intelligible to faith [Baxter,
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210].” I disagree. God demonstrates that His use of the Chaldeans is consistent with His
promises of Leviticus 26 and other passages. It is very logical and clear cut.
NOTE:
We do not have to spiritualize things to the exclusion of logic.
God’s actions are very logical, if viewed as part of His attributes.
His is trustworthy, predictable, loving, and truthful. Yes, He does hate evil [Habakkuk
1:13], but He allows evil to serve His purpose even while limiting its effect upon His
people [Romans 8:28]. Remember Job and his testing. So too, Israel was called
“according to God’s purpose.”
HABAKKUK KNOWS THE ANSWER
Habakkuk proclaims and God repeats it three times in the New Testament [Romans
1:17; Galatians 3:2; and Hebrews 10:38],
... the just shall live by his faith
Habakkuk 2:4
QUESTION? Should Habakkuk have kept silent and not question God?
Of course not! Instead, he had to learn to live by faith in God alone for his salvation,
care, guidance, instruction, chastisement, and eventual deliverance into the eternal
fellowship with this trustworthy and truthful God. Yes, God controls the nations, but
He also cares and works patiently with each individual who by faith alone, trusts in
Him for deliverance and salvation. With the New Testament, we have learned that “the
faith” must be in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who became our substitute upon the
Cross and shed His blood to pay for our sins [Hebrews 9:22]. The Judge also became the
convicted One. He served the sentence, but also paid the price. He is alive today to show
that He has paid it in full [Hebrews 10:14] and now offers that salvation to all whom by
faith in Him alone, receive Him into their heart as Savior and Lord [Romans 10:8-13].
Do you by faith alone have Jesus Christ indwelling you?
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name.
John 1:12
The God of the Bible will do what is best for His people, even when it hurts His heart to
discipline them, remember Jonah? Israel and the Jewish people are still under
Leviticus 26:44. It is not pleasant for them, but one day, they will turn back and be
restored [Romans 11:5-25]. Why? Because they are religious, because of tradition,
because of the United Nations, because we think so, NO!!!! because God must keep His
promises if He is truly God. God must manifest to the angels, creation, us, that He is
Truth and truthfulness. When all the nations have come and gone and God reigns over
the coming kingdom, then
the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters
cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:13
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With this understanding, Habakkuk closes and proclaims, as a man of faith in the
Everlasting God alone,
The LORD God is my strength and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He
will make me to walk upon mine high places.
Habakkuk 3:19
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Date
785 - 772
765 - 754
Prophet or Event
9th Century BC
Obadiah
Joel
8th Century BC
Jonah
Amos
754 - 712
Hosea
739
739 - 692
Death of Uzziah
Isaiah
736 - 701
Micah
722
Destruction of Northern
Kingdom
Invasion of Southern
Kingdom of Judah
7th Century BC
Nahum
Zephaniah
841- 830
835 - 819
701
648 - 620
633 - 625
627 - 575
626
620 - 609
612
605
593 - 560
Jeremiah
Neo-Babylonian Empire born
Habakkuk
Fall of Nineveh
Battle of Carchemish Egypt’s defeat by the
Babylonians
Daniel
6th Century BC
Ezekiel
586
539
Jerusalem destroyed
Fall of Babylon
536
End of Captivity - Temple
restoration begun
Temple work resumed
Zechariah
Haggai
Temple restoration completed
5th Century BC
Malachi
605 - 536
520
520 - 488
520 - 505
516
437 - 417
Comment
Location
Judgment on Edom
Day of the Lord
Judah
Judah
God’s mercy
Judgment - both
kingdoms
God’s indictment of
Israel
Isaiah 6
Judgment of nations,
Judah, Jerusalem, etc.
Judgment and future
restoration of Israel
by the Assyrians
Israel
Israel
Sennacherib [Assyrian]
---------------
Judgment on Nineveh
Judgment upon Judah
and the coming Day of
the Lord
Judah
Judah
Israel
Judah
primarily
Israel
--------------
Israel’s Captivity begins
Judah
--------------Judah
----------------------------
God’s plan of history
Babylon
Judgment - Jerusalem
& nations
Micah 3:12
End of Babylonian
Empire
Micah 4:10
Babylon
Why God?
LESSON 7 - 14
---------------------------------------------------------Judah
Judah
--------------Judah
Internet Bible Institute
HOMEWORK QUESTIONS
Briefly write a paragraph on each of the following based upon your reading, the Bible, and Lecture 7. Note:
some of the questions are to prepare you for the next lesson by preparing you to think about the subjects.
LEVEL 2 AND 3
1] What is the value of prophecy to men? To you?
2] What nations most affected Israel during the Old Testament times?
3] How does Habakkuk describe the Chaldeans in his prophesy?
4] What great text in Habakkuk is quoted three times in the New Testament? Using a
Concordance list the three New Testament verse references. Discuss how each verse
teaches us about “the just” and his/her actions in life.
5] Discuss who Ezekiel is and his call.
6] What does God promise to do for the nation of Israel in Ezekiel 36:16-38?
7] Give the date of Ezekiel’s ministry, where was he taken from, and where his book
was written?
8] Mention some of the nations concerning which Ezekiel prophesies in chapter 25-32.
9] In Ezekiel 44, list the two prime duties of the priesthood during the Millennial rule.
I have completed __________ % of the Workbook Worksheet for this lesson.
I have read _______ % of the textbook. I have read ________ % of the Scripture Reading
Signed: ____________________________________________ Date: ______________________
LESSON 7 - 15