Forty-eight fiery prophets warned Israel to repent of their sins. Still they did not listen. Sixteen of these prophets wrote books that have been incorporated into the Bible. From them, we can glean the great truths they preached. By studying these works, we learn that the prophet was a very special person called to a unique work in God's Kingdom. The word prophet comes from an ancient Hebrew word meaning "to bubble up," "to pour forth," "to run over." God so stirred these men that they could not help but speak His Words to a wayward nation.
The first four prophetical books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel) are called "The Major Prophets." The reason for this designation is the length of their writings and ministry. The sermons preached by the major and minor prophets were equally powerful, and the force of their writings is the same.
God called prophets for three main tasks: (1) to convey God's messages to the nation, (2) to offer spiritual guidance, and (3) to point to the future. They were both "forth-tellers" and "foretellers," calling men back to God and up to His moral standard.
Much is said today about "prophets" and "seers." These men were far more than mystics looking into crystal balls to give hazy predications about the future. They were men of the Spirit who preached unpopular messages to a backslidden people. Many were stoned, imprisoned, ridiculed, and killed. Yet, they, like Jeremiah, noted: "... His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not stay (Jeremiah 20:9). Thank God for men like this who looked beyond their own comforts to proclaim the truth of God to the lost. God, send us prophets!
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
2 Peter 1:21 KJV
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