Jeremiah (est 626-585 B.C.)

Jeremiah son of Hilkiah was from Anathoth, and was part of the Benjamin tribe, he was a priest and first started to hear God when he became thirteen.  He is told that despite his young age that he is to tell a message of doom and destruction to Judah followed by rising and rebuilding, and he starts to see visions.  He is told to go to Jerusalem and Judah to tell the people to turn from their wicked ways, and he is also told that he will be protected as other prophets have been killed by the people there.

He sees a vision of a barren earth with no life and the mountains are shaking, all done by the God's fierce anger.  God tells Judah that he will use Babylonians to destroy Israel and Judah to punish them for their wicked ways.  God speaks to Jeremiah by experience, through rotten buried clothes, through drought, through a pottery wheel.  God tells Jeremiah that the people are now destined for starvation, war and disease so he is asked to be a prophet once more, to deliver the message and that he will be protected, he will be make strong.

God has "put a curse on those who turn from him and trust in human strength"

People try and stop Jeremiah from his words, including people who falsely accuse him or event arrest him and hold him overnight.  However some just throw insults at him, but he suffers to the point whether he questions whether he should have been born at all.  Jeremiah is on trial, and they reference Micah how he had foretold the destruction of the temple, but the King had listened and destruction was adverted, and that Jeremiah should not be killed.

Hananiah challenges Jeremiah, but then Jeremiah foretells his death and Hananiah dies within two months.  Jeremiah writes to the King after he is taken as a captive to Babylonia, and explains that they will be brought back to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian rule.  One of his letters went to Shemaiah, who then wrote letters to deny him, one went to the priest Zephaniah(not the Prophet) who showed Jeremiah and so Jeremiah cursed Shemaiah.

Jeremiah declares that the Lord will make a new convenant that will be written into the hearts and minds of people, foretelling a king in the line of David.

While a prisoner in Jerusalem, Jeremiah buys a pice of land belonging to the Benjamin tribe, later, he gets Baruch to write down what he says onto a scroll and the scroll is read out to the people then brought before the king, but the king chops it up and throws it into the fire, but another scroll is written this time including a curse upon the King

First Jeremiah is imprisoned in Jonathon's house, the in the palace prison but then he is thrown down a well but later rescued, and then he was kept in the palace gaurds residence.  When Jerusalem fell after a 18month siege, Jeremiah was going to be led away but he was set free and allowed to stay behind and have a house, he went to live with Gedaliah (the new leader of Judah) in Mizpah, but Gedaliah gets killed by Ismael, who takes everyone in Mizpah captive.

But the captives are rescued and plan to flee to Egypt but they stop at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, fearing for backlash from the Babylonians, but Jeremiah tells them to stay in Judah.  They refuse to listen and are all led to Egypt by Johanan.  But then the Lord tells Jeremiah that the Babylonains will now attack Egypt, Gaza, Philistine, Crete, Moab, Ammon, and the Kedar tribe.

Isaiah (est. 740-681 BC)

Victims beheaded during Egypt's civil war

Isaiah, son of Amoz and he was given a message about Judah and Jerusalem, that they should turn from their wicked ways or face destruction.  Isaiah is told about Immanuel who will be born in the line of David and will be born of a virgin, and is also told about the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Isaiah says that he trusts the Lord, despite knowing that God is no longer pleased with Israel.

The philistines and arameans attacked Israel but even still people did not turn from their wickedness, the the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh turned against each other but then joined forces to attack Judah.  So God says that the Assyrians will attack Jerusalem and Mount Zion, but Isaiah is told to tell the people that once they trust in God then he will punish Assyria for their crimes, even destroying the forests of Lebanon.

The destruction of various places are foretold such as Babylon, Moab, Zoar, Damascus, Ethiopia, Tyre, Canaan, Sidon, and even the destruction of the world.  A civil war in Egypt is foretold, later an angel kills 185000 Assyrian soldiers who were on their way to destroy Jerusalem and it is declared that "None who are evil will live in peace."

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.

Elijah (est.875-848 B.C.)

Elijah was a prophet from Tishbe in Gilead, he went to Ahab in Samaria and declared a drought in the name of God.  He lived in a creek where birds brough him food, until he was instructed to go to Zarephath.  A widow gave him food but her son died, and Elijah brought him back to life. (similar story to that of Elisha?).

Elijah is sent back to Ahab after three years to say that it will once again rain, but Ahab has been searching for him, many prophets had been chased or killed (this is where Obadiah had saved over a hundred)

Elijah tells Ahab to call all his prophets of Baal to a meeting on Mount Carmel where he challenges them to call their god to light a fire to cook a bull.  They failed and he didn't so they were all killed as false prophets. Then the rain returned.

Ahab's wife sent Elijah a death threat so he fleed to Beersheba in Judah, angels provided him with food and water and he went to Mount Sinai to speak with God.  There God revealed himself with fire wind and earthquakes, and he is instructed to appoint a new King and a new prophet to replace him(Elisha)

Elijah later foretells the death of Ahab.  Elijah and Elisha travel from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jericho, then to Jordan.  Elisha asks Elijah for "double portion of thy spirit", and is told it will be given if he watches him ascend to heaven.

Prophet Joel (est800-400BC?)

Prophet Information:

Joel son of Pethuel, of the tribe of Reuben, according to the Book of the Bee he died in peace in his own land

Mission/Message:

His overall mission was to foretell of punishment upon Israel and all nations, followed by restoration

Documentation:

The book of Joel, is believed to have been either written in the ninth century B.C. or the sixth century B.C., the only importance of the dates is that phrases in his book were used by other prophets, therefore if the early date is true then other prophets certainly read his work, and if the later date, then he had read the works of some of the other prophets

Occupation:

The occupation of Joel is unknown as there is very little mention of him elsewhere (only in the book of Acts) and the non-Biblical legends about him are not convincing, however he was concerned with Judah and Jerusalem so he probably resided in that area

Best known for:

-Not following the general belief that Israel would avoid a day of judgement

Attributes of his personality:

The whole book of Joel is in poetry format in proclamations and prophecies so there is no direct storylines about the man himself, I do not wish to comment on his character based solely upon those words, a more detailed psychoanalysis of the words would be needed.

Supernatural Aspects:

It says that “the word of the Lord came to Joel”, which is very similar to the claims of other prophet’s claims of prophetic authority. There is no mention of dreams or visions.

Examples of prophecies:

-Prediction of a massive locust plague, which some point out to represent empires invading but some believe it was just the plague.

-Prediction that the people of Israel will be scattered across all nations but after a war will return and be given a sanctuary which will never be invaded again

End Times Prophecies:

-The sun will turn to darkness

-The moon will turn the colour of blood

-Blood and fire and billows of smoke