Joseph (est.1886-1806 B.C.)

Joseph was born in Syria and had eleven brothers Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali.  Joseph was son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

By 17 he was his father's favourite and they were living in Canaan, he would have many dreams foretelling the future, yet his brother scorned him so they faked his death and sold him to slavery to a caravan coming from Gilead, where he ended up being sold in Egypt

He rose from slave to house assistant but his owner's wife tried to seduce him and then told lies and Joseph ended up in prison, where he interprets dreams for people, two years later he is called to interpret the king of Egypts dream; He say that a seven year famine is on the way, and Joseph is put in charge of all the officials.  His brothers come to buy food, and they do not recognize Joseph as speaks in Egyptian and he tricks them all to come to Egypt so that he can reveal his identity.

Gen44:5 states that he uses a silver cup to "learn about the future"

So his father and brothers and their families come to live in Egypt to avoid death during the famine, stopping at Beersheba to offer sacrifices.  Joseph went on to trade food for all things and by the end of the famine he owned all of the land and animals and most people were his slaves.  He went on to have two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.  Joseph died at the age of 110 and he was embalmed, later his bones were taken by Moses when the exile occurred so that he could be buried in the land of Canaan.

Prophet Hosea (est750-715BC)

Prophet Information:

Hosea son of Beeri, of the tribe of Issachar and was from the town of Be'elmath, according to the Book of the Bee he died in peace and was buried in his own land, yet modern beliefs is that he was buried in the cemetery of Safed

Mission/Message:

Hosea’s mission from God was to have a relationship with his wife that was similar to God’s relationship with Israel, Hosea seen Israel’s main problem as a failure to acknowledge God.

Documentation:

Hosea is identified as the first of the twelve Minor Prophets and is the only prophet to come from the Northern kingdom of Israel, the book of Hosea is dated by reference to the current kings of Judah; the author of the book is unknown.

Best known for:

-His dramatic relationship with his adulterous wife.

Attributes of his personality:

He was obedient to God’s commands. He had the ability to rebuke his wife in a harsh way, but similarly to take her back in a loving and supportive way. This would point at a man that is slow to anger (his wife bore three children before he rebuked her) yet someone that considers the person not just by their actions, and therefore takes his wife back if she promises not to be with another man again.

Supernatural Aspects:

It says that the “word of God came to him”, and it is said also that “the Lord began to speak through him”

Examples of prophecies:

-He told people about God’s opinion of their way of life, opinions about the kings and foretold their destruction and repentance

-Ch6 verse two it mentions references which could easily be linked to the death of Jesus or the tearing of the old covenant and the making of the new covenant.

End Times Prophecies:

Although some theorists have taken words from Hosea’s prophecies in an attempt to apply them to modern times, my belief is that they applied to his times, and the coming invasion of the northern kingdom.