Major Prophets

Isaiah: This book was written in a troubled time. The people had turned away from religion and had become corrupt. The prophet Isaiah
he predicted the Babylonian captivity for both Israel and Judah. But he also prophesied the return of the exiles and the coming of the
Messiah. In chapters 9, 11, and 53, you can find the dramatic descriptions of Christ and his kingdom, written more than 500 years
before the time of Christ. The book of Isaiah is one of the great masterpieces of the world. Written by an educated person, in
A good Hebrew contains an elevated style, a vehement expression, a fervent feeling, and a vivid imagination. It is
cited in the New Testament more often than any other book.
Jeremiah: The prophet Jeremiah lived in a sad time in the history of the Hebrew people. During this time, the people of the kingdom
from the south, or Judah, was taken by Nebuchadnezzar into captivity in Babylon, although Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem. He wrote with
authority regarding God's judgment on a sinful people as well as the greatness of divine love.
Lamentations: In this book, Jeremiah, standing amidst the ruins of Jerusalem and the temple, gives us an account in three chapters.
the domestic problems of Israel. They are meant to show us the sins of Israel and the love of God. The rest of the book
it contains accusations against the people for their idolatry and their sin.

The last chapter of Jeremiah, concerning the burning of Jerusalem and the beginning of the Babylonian exile, must be read as an introduction.
to this book. Torres Amat takes from the Septuagint this preface: "After Israel was taken captive and Jerusalem was left desolate,
The prophet Jeremiah was sitting, crying, and lamenting over Jerusalem with the following lamentation, and sighing with bitterness.
"in high spirits and shouting," he said. It is believed that this preface may have been in the Hebrew copy from which they made their
the seventies
Ezekiel: When he was young, Ezekiel was taken into captivity 11 years before the destruction of Jerusalem. The theme of his prophecy is
precisely the destruction of Jerusalem, the judgment upon the people, and finally, the return of the exiles and the glorious future of
Israel.
A prophetic book whose author is the young Ezekiel who was taken captive to Babylon at the age of 11, before the
destruction of Jerusalem. The subject of his prophecy is, precisely, the destruction of that city, the prophecies about the others
nations, the judgment upon the people, the return of the exiles, and the glorious future and restoration of Israel. A style stands out
ordered and coherent narrative.

Daniel: The prophecy of Daniel is one of the most interesting books of the Bible. Its stories (chapters 1-6) are vivid and
exciting, and the visions of the rest of the book (chapters 7-12) are very significant. The four beasts of Daniel 7:3 are
considered the four great world powers, the Babylonians, the Medo-Persians, the Greco-Macedonians, and the Romans.
the second vision (Daniel 8:1) is considered a reference to the government of the Greeks under Alexander the Great. The kingdom
mentioned in chapter 9 is the messianic government of the kingdom of Christ. The vision of chapters 10-12 is considered a
reference to the end of the ages.
Minor Prophets

Hosea: The message of the prophet Hosea was mainly directed to Israel. The first three chapters give us an account of the
domestic problems of Israel. They aim to show us the sins of Israel and the love of God. The rest of the book
it contains accusations against the people for their idolatry and their sin.

The book belongs to the group of the minor prophets. Its literary style is brilliant and features lexical figures and broadness.
vocabulary. The message of Hosea was mainly directed to Israel. The first three chapters provide an account of the
internal problems of Israel, and the purpose is to show the sins of the people and the love of God. The rest of the book contains
denunciations against the people for their idolatry and their sin that constitute messages of judgment sprinkled with pleas for compassion and
love.

Joel: The book of Joel is divided into two parts; (1) a great calamity caused by a locust invasion, and (2) the response
from God to the prayers of the people. The book contains a prophecy that is frequently found in the writings of the prophets:
that the Jews would go on to establish a great nation in Palestine in the future.
 It is divided into 2 parts: The first is historical and recounts a great calamity caused by an invasion of locusts, the need for
repentance and restoration; the second part is eschatological and describes God's response to the prayers of the people, the
outpouring of His Spirit, the judgment of the nations, and the blessing of His people. The book includes a prophecy that often
we find in the writings of the prophets: in the future, the Jews would establish themselves as a great nation in Palestine.

Amos is one of the first prophetic books. The author prophesies that God loves mercy and not just sacrifices.
formally. Amos was born about 12 miles south of Jerusalem, but his prophecies were directed at the northern kingdom (Israel). He taught
that the future greatness of Israel would not be assured by power and wealth, but by justice and judgment.

It is one of the earliest prophetic writings. The author announces that God loves mercy and not just formal sacrifices.
Amos was born near the south of Jerusalem, but directed his prophecies to the northern kingdom (Israel). The book includes: epigraph; oracles.
against Judah, Israel and neighboring countries; judgments against Israel; five symbolic visions; and final promise of restoration and vision of
Messianic blessing. His teaching emphasizes that the future greatness of Israel would not be assured through power or wealth.
but for justice and judgment.

Obadiah lived in Jerusalem after the deportation of Judah to Babylon. He was God's messenger who announced the fall of the
Edomites, who were the descendants of Esau, those who had rejoiced in the fall of Judah. He also prophesied about a
future when the Jews would return to govern the lands that were once under David's control.

The historical background of this brief prophecy is what the Idumeans did against Judah, taking advantage of the fall and destruction.
from Jerusalem: they not only helped the invader, not only rejoiced in the misfortune of Judah, but also looted the city and occupied it.
a part of the territory. Obadiah announces the punishment of Edom for this treachery, and the proximity of the day of the Lord, when the judgment
Divine will fall upon that people and Judah will be restored. (Vs 15-21).

The book of Jonah is the most pleasant to read among all the minor prophets. Some biblical scholars consider it a narrative.
historical, while others see it as a symbolic story, teaching that just as Jonah failed to fulfill his duty to the
the people of Nineveh, so Israel failed in its moral and religious obligations towards other nations. Jesus' reference to Jonah
(Matthew 12:38-41) seems to indicate that Jonah was a historical narrative.

There are controversies about whether it is history or a tale. Little is known about Jonah, but it has been proven that men have been swallowed.
for whales previously, and they came out alive

Micah lived during the time of Isaiah. Like Isaiah, he preached against the sins of his time and especially against
the oppression of the rich towards the poor. He prophesied both the destruction of Israel and that of Judah shortly before the
judgment will fall upon Israel.

Micah means: 'Who is like Jehovah', he was from Moreset, 30 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem, it was a pastoral area.
Close to Gad develops his ministry both in the north and in the south. Time of Ahaz, Jotham, and Hezekiah, a turbulent time.
kings falling and rising. He prophesies the destruction of Samaria, and he witnessed it; Samaria falls in 722, Micah prophesied it, 732.
fall of Damascus.

Nahum This book is divided into two main parts, it prophesies the destruction of Nineveh. The first part presents the judge and the
second the judgment on the wicked city. Very little is known about Nahum, who lived around 505 B.C.

Two prophets were associated with Nineveh: Jonah around 785 B.C., Nahum around 630 B.C. An interval of about 150 years.
The message of Jonah was one of mercy, and that of Nahum was one of judgment.

A vivid and descriptive book that prophesies the imminent disappearance of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the destruction of Nineveh, its capital.
Nahum, the author, whose name means comforter, was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. Information is unknown.
additional about Nahum. The poem of Nahum describes the attributes and work of God. It continues with God's judgment on Assyria, the
liberation of Judah, the judgment and ruin of Nineveh for its moral failure and ends with the admonition of No-Amón and the overwhelmed
and overwhelming situation of Nineveh.
Habakkuk prophesied in Judah during the reign of Joachin. He wrote about the evils of Israel and their imminent
defeat at the hands of the Chaldeans. He also described the wickedness of the Chaldean conquerors and prophesied their final downfall. The
the book concludes with a sentence of faith.

The Chaldeans (Babylonians) were already advancing westward (1:6), but they had not yet reached Judah (3:16). Habakkuk prophesied little
Before Nahum, when Babylon, after defeating Nineveh. Its armies match the Assyrians in cruelty. If Nahum announces
the fall of Nineveh, Habakkuk is alarmed by the emergence of this new and tremendous threat. He understands that the chosen people have
incurred in sin, and anticipates that he will bear the punishment at the hands of the Babylonians.

Zephaniah lived during the time of Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Nahum. Like those prophets, he speaks against the sins of the people.
He prophesies judgment upon Judah and the neighboring nations as well as blessings upon the restored Jerusalem.

Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah (1:1). He was a great-great-grandson of Hezekiah (1:1), and therefore of royal blood and a relative of Josiah.
This, in 639-608 BC and after the long and bad reign of Manasseh, made great reforms (2 Chronicles 34) in which Zephaniah
It had a prominent role. Thus, this prophecy was given just a few years before the fate of Judah was sealed.

The book of Haggai contains four prophecies, all of them related to the rebuilding of the temple under Zerubbabel. God raises up
Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to rebuild their house. In order to have a picture of the conditions of that period, see the
First chapters of Ezra.

God raised Haggai and Zechariah to encourage the people to rebuild the house of God. The first chapters of Ezra provide the
context in which this prophet acted. The book contains four prophecies related to the rebuilding of the temple of
Zerubbabel. In the first speech, Haggai urges the people to continue with the reconstruction of the temple; in the second, he comforts
those who had seen the glory and magnificence of Solomon's temple; in the third; announces the future blessing of God and the
glory of the temple; and in the fourth he addresses Zerubbabel, son of David, and mentions the promise of the future messianic kingdom.

Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai, and his ministry takes place from the year 520 B.C. The book has a strong connotation.
messianic and therefore it is considered apocalyptic and eschatological. The message of Zechariah is divided into two parts: The first (chaps. 1-
8) announces the restoration of the temple; and the last part (chapters 9-14) announces the future of the nations and of Israel, the advent
of the Messiah and the kingdom of Christ.

Malachi was the last of the prophets of the Old Testament. He lived in the time after the rebuilding of the temple and to the
restoration of worship, but he saw the people turning back to their old life of sins. In addition to rebuking them for their
spiritual condition, also predicted the coming of the Messiah.

The exact date of Malachi is not known. It is generally accepted that he lived about 100 years after Haggai and Zechariah, and that
he participated in the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. A remnant had returned from captivity in 536 B.C. Under the leadership of
Haggai and Zechariah had rebuilt the temple, 520-516 BC. Then 60 years later, in 457 BC, Ezra had come from Babylon to
Jerusalem to help reorganize and rebuilt the wall. Thus, in the days of Malachi, the Jews had been back from
Babylon around 100 years; cured of their idolatry through captivity, but neglecting the house of God. The
priests had become indifferent and degenerate. The sacrifices were inferior, tithes were neglected. Divorce was
common. The people had returned to their ancient practice of mixed marriages with their idolatrous neighbors.