Prophet Daniel (est 605-530BC)

The story of the prophet called Daniel which means “God is (my) judge” is told in the Book of Daniel. His overall mission can be said was to show that God was sovereign over the kingdoms of men.

Daniel was a captured Jew living in exile after the siege of Jerusalem, a student of the Babylonian court, and later rose to third in power, looking after much of the kingdom. He was known for his wisdom and for his talent as a dream interpreter, and most famously for surviving a night in the lion’s den.

He was a humble man, knew the importance of eating healthily, trustworthy, not corrupt or negligent, and had knowledge of other prophets including Jeremiah. He had visions during the day and the night; some of which would disturb him or exhaust him or even make him ill. He had the ability to talk with angels. He could make prophecies against people to force the outcome of God’s will (making a king live in the wild, telling a king his days were numbered).

Examples of his prophecies include the rise and fall of four empires (Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome), the prediction of the death of Antichus IV in 164 B.C, the prediction of the coming Messiah and his death and the prediction of Israel’s destruction by Titus in 70 A.D.

Yet his prophecies regarding the end times are equally impressive and were very much studied by prophecy collectors such as Isaac Newton and others. His end-time prophecies include; that a prince called Michael will arise, that those in dust will awake to face their judgement, that there will be a time of great distress on the scale that has never been seen before, yet he also said that more was revealed to him than he was allowed to reveal, the words were ‘sealed up’.

Old Document Review 'Tract on the Apocalpse'

This ancient document was written by the Bishop Apringus of Beja somewhere between 531-548 A.D. > it did not have wide distribution therefore middle sections of the document did not survive through history unfortunately.

The document itself it a commentary on the Apocalpse, in other words Revelations from the Bible, where the bishop makes attempts to explain the visions of John.

The Bishop believed that the Seven Seals which so many people nowadays attribute to fortelling of the 'end times' were actually symbolizing the life of Jesus. In essence the seven stages of His life which are; incarnation, nativity, passion, death, resurrection, glory and kingdom.

The Bishop further decribes how he believes that only Jesus was worthy to open the seals, the seals represent prophecies about the Messiah which were fulfilled by Jesus' life. In essence, the seals are events destined to happen only upon a certain set of circumstances that could only happen once, at a certain point in time, events in time that are sealed. These are the Seven Seals opened by Jesus.

He further identifies the four animals in Revelations as the gospels, and the seven horns as the stength and power of Jesus and the seven eyes as the seven spirits of God, the seven spirits being the virtues that dwelt in Jesus.

This interesting and compelling read gives a very believeable version of identifiying items in the Book of Revelations that have mystified scholars around the Earth, and it would also dispute many theories about the 'end times' that are based upon the seven seals.

Prophet Zechariah (est520-480BC)

Prophet Information:

Zechariah, meaning ‘the Lord remembers’, according to the Book of the Bee he died at a great age and was buried beside Haggai

Mission/Message:

Zechariah’s mission was very similar to Haggai’s mission. Both were concerned with spiritual renewal of the returned exiles as well as the need for the temple to be re-built.

Documentation:

The book of Zechariah is traditionally thought to have been authored by the prophet, although some readers believe that there are stark differences between the first and second half of the book and therefore must have been written by two authors. It is possible that Zechariah had just written each part of the book at different stages of his life.

Occupation:

A priest and a prophet

Best known for:

-The re-building of the temple, continuing the work of Haggai

-A detailed prediction of the Messiah (his personality, the betrayal, the crucifixion)

Attributes of his personality:

When visions are revealed to him he requests more details or an explanation, this might be so that he can analyse the meanings. He was a deep thinker.

Supernatural Aspects:

It says that the ‘word of God came to him’. He had many night visions; the book includes a series of eight visions, in these visions he would see the Lord or angels and be able to talk with them. He also speaks of angels waking him from sleep in order to reveal things to him.

Examples of prophecies:

-The prediction of the coming Messiah and detailed descriptions of him

-Apocalyptic prophecies

-The prediction of the siege of Jerusalem

End Times Prophecies:

In chapter 11, the author speaks of a ‘false shepherd’ which some believe to represent a recent church leader as many of the verses of prophecy can be linked to him.

Prophet Micah (est750-686BC)

Prophet Information:

Micah, according to the Book of the Bee he was of the tribe of Ephraim and was slain by Joram the son of Ahab

Mission/Message:

Micah switches between messages of doom and messages of hope. His message also declares that there will be a Messiah from the line of David.

Documentation:

The author is unknown but believed to be Micah himself. The writings bear some resemblance to that of Isaiah with the difference being that Micah had less knowledge of Jerusalem’s political scene.

Best known for:

-Prediction of the capture of Samaria, which happened later in his lifetime

Attributes of his personality:

Micah was an opinionated observer of the society around him, and he spent time pointing out how God hates idolatry, injustice, rebellion and ritualism. His prophecies show both tenderness, but they also show threatening language.

Supernatural Aspects:

It is mention how the “word of God” came to him. His prophecies follow the format of pointing out social injustices followed by what the Lord had to say about it, so he must have been able to speak with God.

Examples of prophecies:

-The destruction of Samaria

-The prediction of the Messiah and the birthplace where he would be born

End Times Prophecies:

-In Chapter two, it mentions that when the church will not prophesy, that there will be someone called “the breaker” who will be broken away from the church yet devoted to God and that he will become a leader that will lead people out of spiritual confusion to avoid destruction. Interestingly enough, if you link this with predictions of Daniel who mentions a Michael (of which has several meanings: ‘Who is like God?’ The name also means ‘leadership’). Could the Michael and ‘the breaker’ be one in the same?

Prophet Haggai (est590-520BC)

Prophet Name:

Haggai, means ‘festal’ or 'my holiday', he is said to have been buried in the Tomb of the Prophets on the upper slope of Mount Olives in Jerusalem.

Mission/Message:

Haggai’s mission was to clearly explain the consequences of disobedience. Furthermore, he talks about the promise that a Messiah will come. His mission was to help convince the returned exiles to re-build the temple.

Documentation:

Haggai’s message was given in two parts during the year 520, it is hinted that he witnessed the destruction of Solomon’s Temple which would make him to be aged in his seventies. Other than the book of Haggai, he is also possibly mentioned in the Book of Esther as being a eunuch.

Best known for:

-The re-building of the temple, along with the help of Zechariah, another prophet

Attributes of his personality:

He was in his seventies when he delivered his messages. He uses questions and repetitions to highlight aspects of his prophecies, which shows natural talent to be a teacher.

Supernatural Aspects:

It says that the ‘word of God came to him’ or ‘through’ him.

Examples of prophecies:

-The prediction of the coming Messiah

-The judgement at Christ’s second coming

End Times Prophecies:

In Chapter two of the book it mentions the shaking of heavens, the earth, sea, land and all nations. This is a reference to the second coming of Christ.

Prophet Amos (est760-750BC)

Prophet Information:

Amos from the land of Tekoa, according to the Book of the Bee a priest of Bethel tortured him and afterwards killed him.

Mission/Message:

His overall mission was a call for social justice, emphasizing God’s forgiveness on the repentant and judgement on the unfaithful.  He traveled through the Northern Kingdom of Israel, in particular visited the cities of Samaria and Bethel.

Documentation:

The book of Amos was written at a time of prosperity of the Northern and Southern kingdoms and before the Assyrian captivity, and therefore it is believed that Amos’s years of ministry were from 760 to 750 B.C. during the reign of Uzziah (792-740 B.C.)

Occupation:

Amos was a shepherd of Tekoa; it is unclear if he was just a hired hand, or the owner of the herds. However it is clear that he was knowledgeable with words and with history and therefore he was probably not a peasant.

Best known for:

-Travelling to the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to give a message in a time of prosperity that the immorality and corruption had not gone unnoticed by God

Attributes of his personality:

A simple and humble man, in Chapter eight he is confronted by people telling him to go back to where he had come from, and he replies that he is not a prophet just a shepherd that has been sent by God to give a message. In another version he says "I am not a prophet nor a son of a prophet".

Supernatural Aspects:

In his verses of prophecies, he talks as if God speaks directly to him revealing things in imagery and words.

Examples of prophecies:

-Prediction of the invasion of the Northern kingdom by the Assyrians (722-721 B.C.)

-Prediction that the people of Israel will be exiled to all nations but they will be planted in a land of their own

-Prediction of the coming Messiah

End Times Prophecies:

-The Day of the Lord will come

-A day of darkness not light, pitch black without a ray of sunshine