The Prophets
The books of the prophets from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel to Zechariah and Malachi cover several hundred years of history. Their words weave through the lives of an almost overwhelming number of kings, governors, nations and people. Some sections of the prophets speak clearly and easily to us of the wonderful time to come when Gods kingdom will be established here on the earth.
Here are some well-known favourites:
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together, and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6).
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads (Isaiah 35:1,10).
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away, and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they make war any more (Micah 4:2-3).
Prophecies of Messiah also abound. Daniel lays out the time periods involved until Messiah would come. Micah tells us of the birthplace of the one to be ruler in Israel. Jeremiah reveals something of the devastation and loss in Bethlehem following his birth. In the servant chapters, Isaiah tells us much of the sufferings and death that Messiah would undergo. Zechariah gives us some glimpses of the setting for his glorious return. It is thrilling to see how these prophecies were fulfilled in the life of the Lord Jesus, and their full import hits us when we reflect on the time differences between when they were written and when he actually came.
Bro Harry Manda (Kazembe, Zambia)
