we have an exhaustive division of the different ways in which the revelations of God are made to
man.
•Direct declaration and manifestation: “I will speak mouth to mouth, apparently, and the similitude
of the Lord shall he behold.”
•Vision.
•Dream. not though it must be allowed that Scripture language seems to point out the state of dream
and of trance or ecstasy, as a condition in which the human instrument received the divine
communications, it does not follow that all the prophetic revelations were thus made. Had the
prophets a full knowledge of that which they predicted? It follows from what we have already
said that they had not, and could not have. They were the “spokesmen” of God, (Exodus 7:1) the
“mouth” by which his words were uttered, or they were enabled to view and empowered to describe
pictures. Presented to their spiritual intuition; but there are no grounds for believing that,
contemporaneously with this miracle, there was wrought another miracle, enlarging the
understanding of the prophet so as to grasp the whole of the divine counsels which he was gazing
into, or which he was the instrument of enunciating. Names.—Of the sixteen prophets, four are
usually called the great prophets, namely, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, and twelve the
Minor prophets, namely, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakuk,Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. They may be divided into four groups: the prophets of the northern
kingdom—Hosea, Amos, Joel, Jonah; the prophets of the southern kingdom—Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah; the prophets of the captivity—Ezekiel and Daniel;
the prophets of the return—Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. They may be arranged in the following
chronological order, namely, Joel, Jonah, Hoses, Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah,
Habakkuk, Obadiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Use of
prophecy.—Predictive prophecy is at once a part and an evidence of revelation; at the time that it
is delivered and until its fulfillment, a part; after it has been fulfilled, an evidence. As an evidence,
fulfilled prophecy is as satisfactory as anything can be; for who can know the future except the
Ruler who disposes future events? and from whom can come prediction except from him who
knows the future? Development of Messianic prophecy.—Prediction, in the shape of promise and
threatening, begins with the book of Genesis. Immediately upon the Fall, hopes of recovery and
salvation are held out, but the manner in which this salvation is to be effected is left altogether
indefinite. All that is at first declared is that it shall come through a child of woman. (Genesis
3:15) By degrees the area is limited: it is to come through the family of Shem, (Genesis 9:26)
through the family of Abraham, (Genesis 12:3) of Isaac, (Genesis 25:18) of Jacob, (Genesis 28:14)
of Judah, (Genesis 49:10) Balaam seems to say that it will be wrought by a warlike Israelitish
King, (Numbers 24:17) Jacob, by a peaceful Ruler of the earth, (Genesis 49:10) Moses, by a
Prophet like himself, i.e. a revealer of a new religious dispensation. (15:15) Nathan’s announcement,
(2 Samuel 7:16) determines further that the salvation is to come through the house of David, and
through a descendant of David who shall be himself a king. This promise is developed by David
himself in the Messianic psalms. Between Solomon and Hezekiah intervened some two hundred
years, during which the voice of prophecy was silent. The Messianic conception entertained at
this time by the Jews might have been that of a King of the royal house of David who would arise
and gather under his peaceful sceptre his own people and strangers. Sufficient allusion to his
prophetical and priestly offices had been made to create thoughtful consideration, but as yet there
was, no clear delineation of him in these characters. It was reserved for the prophets to bring out
frankie
(Frankie)
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