Prophet Nahum (est663-612BC)

Prophet Information:

Nahum, meaning “comfort”, according to the Book of the Bee he was from the city of Elkosh and was of the tribe of Simeon, died in peace and was buried in his own country.

Mission/Message:

Nahum’s mission was to portray God as one who gives refuge to those who trust in Him and as one who will not let the guilty go unpunished. In particular Nahum spoke and prophesised about the coming destruction of Nineveh, and that this would give comfort to Judah.

Documentation:

The book contains details of the vision of Nahum. The estimates of dating this book come from the events mentioned in the book. It was after the fall of Thebes in 663 and before the destruction of Nineveh in 612.

Occupation:

Unknown but his hometown was named Elkosh (location also unknown)

Best known for:

-Announcement of the coming destruction of Nineveh

Attributes of his personality:

The type of works used in the book show intense descriptions and vocabulary, the writing is poetic yet features many rhetorical questions. He was a deep thinker and analyst.

Supernatural Aspects:

The book is a vision, but it differs in the fact that other prophets would say “The Lord says” whereas Nahum describes “The Lord will” or “The Lord is”. This would give a general picture that Nahum knew the mind of God whereas others heard the words of God.

Examples of prophecies:

-The destruction of Nineveh

End Times Prophecies:

There is a possibility that the second chapter is talking about Israel being restored after ‘destroyers have laid them waste’ meaning the Israel state after the Second World War. It goes on to mention about an army in red or scarlet, which could represent a country that uses predominantly red on their flag.

Prophet Jonah (est775-785BC)

Prophet Information:

Jonah son of Amittai, his name means “dove”, according to the Book of the Bee he was from Gath-hepher, which is near to Gaza and the sea coast.

Mission/Message:

To travel to Nineveh (a place of great menace to Israel) and proclaim to them of their imminent disaster, according to the Book of the Bee he moved away after he had prophesied to Assyria until he met with Elijah's widow and he decided to return to Judea, he was buried in the cave of Kainan.

Documentation:

The author of the book of Jonah is unknown however it is traditionally thought to be Jonah himself who wrote it. The book itself is very narrative in comparison to other books of prophecies which has led some to believe that it is not historical. There is also debate over when it was written, some say after 612B.C and others say it was written after the times of Amos but before the invasion of the Assyrians.

Best known for:

-Running away from God and ending up being thrown off a boat and swallowed by a great fish, which spat him out onto land three days later.

Attributes of his personality:

Low self-esteem (believing he could not accomplish God’s mission for him), stubborn and flawed (lying to the sailors of the boat), possibly suicidal (“better for me to die” and “I am angry enough to die”)

Supernatural Aspects:

It says that the “word of God came to him”, speaking as if God spoke directly to him. The provision of a vine to grow from nothing and give him shelter from the sun

Examples of prophecies:

-His job was to go and ask the people of Nineveh to turn from their ways in order to avoid disaster and they did what was asked, and they were saved which made Jonah angry for Nineveh was a great menace to Israel.

End Times Prophecies:

There are no direct prophecies about the end times, or about the Day of the Lord. However, there is the distinct lesson that a sinful person can turn from his wicked ways and be forgiven, which is something that many people may draw upon during the end times.