The people of Israel were afraid to face God and petitioned Moses to ask God to raise up prophets that were fit to speak to God in their behalf. Moses was informed, “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account” (Deut. 18:17-19). There were many that God called and the last one according to Jesus was John the Baptist (Mt. 11:13). Jesus himself was God’s final and last word to mankind; that was what the writer to the Hebrews believed (Heb. 1:1-4).

Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem with a weapon of war in one hand and a building tool in the other; but the King or Cornerstone of Israel was to come in peace and ride on a donkey: "Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey"(Zech. 9: 9). Before that day, when the Lord would set his feet on the Mount of Olives and living water would flow from Jerusalem, the false shepherds would lead their people into war and destruction. Politics rather than religion would become the prevalent agenda for the people of the Promise (Zech.11-14).

Daniel's prophecy of betrayal became a sobering reality. The Persians and the Medes fell to Alexander the Great and the Hellenizing of the Middle East began. Alexander’s empire was divided among his four generals. Two of them, Egypt and Syria became Judea’s mortal enemies. Syria was set on Hellenizing Judaism with costly consequences. Treachery began within Judaism with Alcimus who turned against the Hasidim and many were executed. Those who escaped rejoined Judas Maccabee and the civil war continued. It began with the Syrians and ended with the Romans, leaving posterity with the bloodiest memory of Abraham’s seed in history.

The exiling of the Jews to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar led to a profound change and return to Yahwehism. This was due primarily to the instructions Jeremiah the prophet had sent in a letter. “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Built houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’ Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says, ‘Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams they encourage you to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 29:4-9).

exiles had two apocalyptic prophets of their own, Ezekiel and Daniel. Ezekiel saw the destruction of his beloved homeland and city and along with Daniel was taken to Babylon where he prophesied under the assumed identity as a "son of man" and “the watchman.” His denunciation of Israel's sin and captivity was very graphic and severe and so were his predictions regarding the other nations Babylon had devastated. There is no direct attack on the enemy but the victims saw the enemy in the “windstorm from the north,” the ”cooking pot” and “Gog’ and “Magog.” The Valley of the Dry Bones was an image of the dead left behind by the enemy. In due time the “I Am” will deal with the devastators and restore His Name and Laws among his people. Hereinafter, each individual and not the nation as a whole would be held accountable (Ezek. 18:1-4). Hence, everyone had to repent in order to experience healing and restoration. God himself would bring back a remnant for his namesake (Ezek. 36:22-23), and not even Noah, Daniel or Job could alter Israel's case (Ezek. 14:14). Ezekiel proclaimed a complete and pure restoration of the land, the cities, the temple, the priesthood and the sacrifices. These things took place under Ezra – Nehemiah but did not last. The Romans ended Ezekiel’s predictions. Ultimately, beyond that earthly Israel, was one that God himself would build into a global power. It is a forecast of one like Jesus (Immanuel) who came to announce that God’s reign was at hand (Mk. 1:15).

Daniel was the bravest of the Apocalyptic Prophets. He was loyal to the faith of his fathers; but he also spoke to the kings who held him captive as no other human ever dared. And what was beyond comprehension was that he was tolerated, accepted and even honored by these pagan kings against whom he prophesied. Even more incomprehensible were his visions and interpretations of these visions. Strangely absent from Daniel's dreams were a place for Israel and a Davidic king. His basic petition was: "For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your name" (Dan. 9:17-18).

"I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord" (Jer. 24:7). “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams; your young men will se visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days,” (Joel 2:28-29). Christians linked Joel with Pentecost. Jews go back to Abraham, Jacob, Samuel, David and many others that did have dreams and visions. The dreams and visions of men like Abraham and Joseph had significant impacts on the outcome of Jewish history. It was when the leadership failed that God turned to the common people with apocalyptic perception to point God’s people in the right direction. They put meaning into aimless earthly schemes with new hope and a kingdom run by heaven. Jesus held a similar view, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children,” (Mt. 11:25). In other words, God was bypassing the theologians and the religious leaders and disclosed messages directly to the simple people. The Greeks called it “apocalypsis” meaning disclosures or revelations. Jesus called them parables – examples that paralleled events and persons not to be direct or personal about them. Those that were close to the Apocalyptists were able to grasp their meaning. The disciples asked Jesus, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them,” (Mt. 13:10-11). Mark added this comment: “To those on the outside everything is said in parables so that ‘they may see but not grasp, they may hear but not understand; that would cause them to repent and be forgiven,’”(Mk. 4:11-12).

Israel became the unfaithful wife, literally the harlot. Hosea the prophet was ordered to relive God's feelings toward Israel in his marriage with an adulterous wife. She gave birth to two children that symbolized Israel's and Judah's sins and punishments. In spite of Hosea's attempt to love, reconcile and restore his wife, she like Israel remained adulterous. The verdict was: "What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you. For I desire mercy, and not sacrifices, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Like Adam, they have broken the covenant - they were unfaithful to me there" (Ho. 6:4-7).

Jesus gave us the reason why the prophet Jonah was important to all of us, both Jews and Gentiles. God sent many prophets to Samaria and Jerusalem but only one to Nineveh. When man meets His condition and repents, God withholds judgment as He promised. Jesus made two crucial statements regarding God’s promises and He did not exactly use kind words, almost unbecoming to his gentle nature. “A wicket and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign; but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here” (Mt. 12:339-42; Lk. 11:29-32).

"When a prophet of the Lord is among you, I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams" (Num. 12:6). “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” (Heb. 1:1-2). “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John” (Mt. 11:13). Prophets were and are messengers of the law of cause and effect set in place by the Creator to determine the destiny of everyone. “And the Lord God commanded man, ‘you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’” (Gen. 2:16-17). That message resonates into our time and days to come. “For in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (I Cor. 15:22). The Promise of all Promises is life eternal.