What is Prophecy?

When you encounter prophecy in the Bible it refers to a message that is claimed to be of divine origin. Prophetic messages come in many forms: dreams, poetry, sermons, and even dramatic physical stunts, (e.g. Isaiah 20:3). Although most people seem to think of prophecy as a messages about the future, the prophets of the Bible speak of the past, present, and the future.

The Past

It’s common for a prophet to reference past events in Israel’s history. These citations remind Israel about their special pact with God. God revealed that if Israel remained loyal to Him, its people would enjoy his blessings and protection in the land he promised to Abraham. However, if Israel served other gods or oppressed vulnerable people, God would judge Israel and remove His protection.

For this reason, prophets often discuss the acts of kindness that God showed Israel and his judgment of other nations. Most of the reminders mentioned by prophets relate to things that happened during the exodus from Egypt. Important among these were:

• God freeing Israel from slavery and giving them the Torah
• God judging the Egyptians with the ten plagues
• God parting the Red Sea for Israel, and consuming Pharaoh’s armies
• Israel possessing the territories of Sihon and Og before they even entered Canaan

The Present

The prophets take on issues of the present as well, particularly to point out Israel’s disloyalty to God and the bad behavior of other nations. Among the subjects for prophets are:

• Israel worshiping the gods of other nations
• Israel showing more confidence in the militaries allies than in God
• rich citizens oppressing the poor
• Israel’s corrupt justice systems
• World nations violently taking attacking other nations
• Kings considering themselves gods

The Future

The prophets often envision several types of future scenarios. Some are specific to Israel, some to the nations of the world, and one is directed to anyone listening.

God’s judgment on Israel

The people of Israel enjoyed God’s blessings and protection if they kept his laws. However, if they betrayed him, they understood they would suffer judgment. This most often took the form of God allowing Israel to be consumed by larger, more powerful nations. The prophets often warn the Israelites that their oppression and idol worship is leading them toward this future. The most notable example of this prophecy coming to pass is in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

God’s Restoration of Israel

Moses foresaw Israel violating the Torah and being exiled from their land. However, he also sees God mercifully regathering the descendants of Israel and bringing them back home. Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets anticipate this restoration—particularly a restoration of Jerusalem. They envision God ruling the restored nation of Israel from the holy city, sometimes through a Messianic descendant of King David.

God’s Judgment of the Nations

While mostly written for and by the ancient Jews, the people of Israel also saw God as the supreme divine being in the universe, with the rest of the "gods" and humans ultimately answering to him. Along with oppressing poor families and towns, some kings became so power-hungry that they oppressed other nations, attacking and plundering them to make their own nation stronger. The prophets believed that this was unacceptable, and that these empires would eventually be overthrown on God’s time schedule.

God’s Restoration of the Nations

The prophets foresaw a time when the nations of the world be at peace with one another under the leadership of Israel’s Messiah. Many of the prophets end their books with all the nations of the world enjoying the blessings of Israel’s God. They believed that God promised this to their ancestor Abraham at the beginning of the Torah.