For a master copy of the outline, click here: Basic Bible Doctrine
To Listen on YouTube, click here: An Overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (Part 4) - Isaiah to Malachi
3. The prophets (major and minor)
A. The book of Isaiah
i. The book of Isaiah was written by the prophet Isaiah "in the days of Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (Isa 1:1) between the years of 727-617 BC prior to the Babylonian captivity.
ii. Isaiah was a contemporary of Hosea, Amos, and Micah.
iii. The book of Isaiah includes much censure of the nation of Judah as well as the surrounding nations.
iv. It also includes many prophecies of the coming of Jesus Christ and of His second coming as well.
v. Isaiah has 66 chapters which have an interesting parallel to the Bible's 66 books.
vi. The first 39 chapters prophesy much of judgment (the 39 books of the Old Testament), chapter 40 opens with a prophecy of John the Baptist which was the forerunner of Christ (the 27 books of the New Testament), and chapter 66 ends by mentioning the new heavens and the new earth (the book of Revelation).
B. The book of Jeremiah
i. Jeremiah prophesied from the days of Josiah, king of Judah until the Babylonian captivity during the years of 547-524 BC (Jer 1:1-3).
ii. Jeremiah was a contemporary of Zephaniah.
iii. Jeremiah is sometimes referred to as "the weeping prophet" because he spent his whole ministry preaching to Israel of their coming judgment, but none listened and the nation rejected him.
iv. Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be taken captive by the Babylonians for 70 years.
C. The book of Lamentations
i. The book of Lamentations was also written by Jeremiah.
ii. It records Jeremiah's lamentations for the city of Jerusalem after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 518 BC.
D. The book of Ezekiel
i. Ezekiel prophesied while being a captive in Babylon during the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity in 514 BC (Eze 1:1-3).
ii. Ezekiel saw visions of heaven and condemned Israel for their idolatry.
iii. He also prophesied against other nations such as Tyrus and Egypt.
iv. Ezekiel prophesied that Israel would return to the land after the captivity.
E. The book of Daniel
i. The book of Daniel was written by Daniel during the Babylonian captivity (518-448 BC).
ii. Daniel was carried away captive to Babylon along with three other young men at the beginning of the captivity who were chosen to serve the king of Babylon.
iii. There are two popular stories told in the book, one of a time when Daniel's three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a furnace and were not harmed when they refused to worship a giant statue that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made, and another time when Daniel was thrown into a lions' den and was not harmed when he disregarded a law made by Darius king of the Medes and Persians which said that he had to make his petitions to the king instead of God.
iv. Daniel made some incredible prophecies including prophesying of the succession of world empires (Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman), the acts of Alexander the Great, the Ptolemys of Egypt, the battle of Actium, the Maccabees, the Herod dynasty, the coming of the Messiah and the kingdom of God (the New Testament church), and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
F. The book of Hosea
i. Hosea prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel (Hos 1:1) between 753-617 BC.
ii. Hosea was a contemporary of Isaiah, Micah, and Amos.
iii. Hosea prophesied of the fate of the nation of Israel (the northern kingdom).
G. The book of Joel
i. The book of Joel was written by the prophet Joel.
ii. There is not a clear reference given in the book to be able to date it accurately and people have dated it anywhere from the 5th-9th century BC.
H. The book of Amos
i. Amos was a sheep herder who prophesied in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel (Amo 1:1) between 753-675 BC.
ii. Amos was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea.
iii. Like the other prophets, Amos prophesied of the judgment of Israel.
I. The book of Obadiah
i. The book of Obadiah was written by the prophet Obadiah who prophesied against Edom (Oba 1:1).
ii. The date of the book of Obadiah is not known for certain. Some think it was in the 9th century BC in the days of Elijah, others think it was in the 6th century in the days of Jeremiah.
iii. Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament.
J. The book of Jonah
i. Jonah prophesied in the northern kingdom (Israel) during the reign of Amaziah king of Judah and Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel (Jon 1:1 c/w 2Ki 14:23-25) around 753 BC.
ii. The book of Jonah records the account of God telling Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites and tell them that God was going to destroy Nineveh in 40 days for their wickedness.
iii. Jonah didn't want to do it so he instead took a ship to Tarshish.
iv. The LORD sent a great storm upon them and Jonah ended up being thrown overboard to appease God.
v. God prepared a whale to swallow Jonah and he spent three days and three nights in the whale's belly before it spewed him out.
vi. Jonah then goes to Nineveh and preached to them to repent, which they did, and God spared them the destruction that He had planned for them.
vii. Jonah then got angry with God for being merciful to them.
K. The book of Micah
i. Micah prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Mic 1:1) between 675-617 BC.
ii. Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea.
iii. Micah prophesied concerning Samaria and Jerusalem (Mic 1:1).
iv. Micah had a few notable prophecies including a prophecy of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2) and of the 40 year period of signs and wonders that accompanied Christ's and the apostles' ministries (Mic 7:15).
L. The book of Nahum
i. Nahum is said to have prophesied at the end of the Assyrian empire around 600 BC.
ii. Nahum prophesied of the destruction of Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria.
M. The book of Habakkuk
i. The exact date of the book of Habakkuk is unknown, but we know it was written before the Babylonian captivity of Israel in 507 BC because it prophesied of it.
ii. Habakkuk prophesied of the destruction of Judah by the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and of the judgment of God against the Chaldeans.
N. The book of Zephaniah
i. Zephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah king of Judah (Zep 1:1) between 560-529 BC.
ii. Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah.
iii. Zephaniah prophesied against Judah, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, and Nineveh.
O. The book of Haggai
i. Haggai prophesied in the second year of Darius (Hag 1:1), king of the Medo-Persian empire in around 450's BC.
ii. Haggai was a contemporary of Zechariah.
iii. Haggai's prophecy was to spur the Jews to continue in the work of rebuilding the temple who had returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity.
P. The book of Zechariah
i. Zechariah prophesied in the second year of Darius (Zec 1:1), king of the Medo-Persian empire in around 450's BC.
ii. Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai.
iii. Zechariah prophesied about many things, including the restoration of Jerusalem and the coming of Jesus Christ.
Q. The book of Malachi
i. Malachi is the last book of the OT and it is believed that it is the last book chronologically as well, and is thought to have been written around 420 BC after the Jews returned to the land and rebuilt the temple.
ii. Malachi prophesied against Israel for not taking their religion seriously.
iii. He also prophesied of the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
