The Voice of the Prophet
Alongside the kings of Judah and Israel God raised up prophets. These were people who would hear and see directly from God and pass on what God had to say and showing in any given situation. Sometimes it was an encouragement, at other times, an admonishment. This very much depended if the king was good or evil in the eyes of the Lord. A good king would bring glory to God among the nations. The actions of an evil king could have lasting repercussions where God would allow other agents (angelic, natural or human) to bring punishment. Where the kings led the way, the people would follow. Like waves of the sea you can see crests and troughs; a height to which a king and people reach comes crashing down because pride, until a new low is experienced and yet still God comes to the rescue.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning,and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
Isaiah 61:1-3
This was the common theme among the prophets, so much so that impending events at the time the prophet lived were seen encompassed in more distant similar events. Zion (as in the above verses) becomes synonymous with the kingdom of God. We too see a 'here and not yet' desire in the Lord's prayer - 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven'. Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God, yet he urged us to see more of it.
The reigns of the kings in the bible can be put together fairly accurately by historians (Albright, Thiele, Galil and Kitchen [1]), but it is the voice of the prophets that really tell us what is really going on. Usually it is by the reigns of the kings or by the events in their reign that can be use to put context to the voice. In the chronological timeline above we begin to see groupings of the prophets that echo the message that even though Man fails we can trust God, as we put our hope in a kingdom of God, to come.
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Earlier prophets would have had a multi-layered view to put across with impending events to the fore and the more distant events in the background. This may make it more difficult for the reader to differentiate which period of the time the prophet is speaking from. A general rule of thumb would be - the wider the vista, the earlier the prophet lived.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:3
Features of what was voiced would be valid for the immediate recipients but also be future-proofed in relaying the vision of the kingdom of God so that it is accessible for us today.
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Looking at this prophetic landscape, there are then the particular times that God brought the prophets forth which we will concentrate on:
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A Broken Kingdom
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David-Nathan-Solomon-1st Temple-Ahijah-Jeroboam I-Rehoboam I
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Whom Will You Serve?
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Joel-Elijah-Ahab & Jezebel-Famine and Drought-Mt Carmel-Jehoshaphat-Moab-Elisha
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Fame, Pride & Fall
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Isaiah-Uzziah-Great Earthquake-Philistines-Amos-Uzziah's Sin-Assyria takes Northern Israel-Hezekiah- Babylonian Envoys
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Exile
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Ezekiel-Jeremiah-Josiah-Meggido-Ezekiel-Babylon Empire-Exile-1st Temple Destroyed
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Return​, Restore & Rebuild
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Cyrus-Daniel-Cambyses-Drought-Zechariah-Haggai-Ezra-Nehemiah-Israel’s Enemies Judged-2nd Temple Built- Israel Flourishes
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Xerxes-Haman-Esther-Greece -Malachi-InterTestamental Period-Jesus
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Here we can see God in control, backing his people and when necessary allowing the angelic, natural and human agents dispense his judgements to teach his people the the right way to live. It may seen that Man is caught in an epic battle between Good and Evil, but God is in control - even though we may not understand the Hows and Whys, we should still put our trust in God.
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Importantly, there is an end time pattern occurring in the past that we must take heed of ahead of time; it marries up with what we read in the New Testament and especially the book of Revelation, Critically, today we can discern the ominous signs. Out of the 3 agents (natural, angelic and human), which are also represented by the seals, trumpets and bowls of the book of Revelation, we may probably only witness what we can physically see.
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The natural world is at a tipping point - El Nino, Climate Change, rising sea temperatures, heatwaves and Artic conditions, drought, famine and plague. Tellingly, we can see the forces are gathering against Israel as in times in the past; in recent history and in the bible times. We should take special notice as we encounter 70 year anniversaries paralleling the return of Jews return from Babylonian exile in the Old Testament.
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1978 AD (70 years after 1908 AD) - 70th Anniversary of the Zionist systematic settling of Jews in Israel
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2018 AD (70 years after 1948 AD) - 70th Anniversary of the State of Israel being established
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2043 AD (70 years after 1973 AD) - 70th Anniversary of the Israel's victory in the Yom Kippur War when attacked on all sides
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The end time pattern is seen in Elijah’s time, in Zechariah’s time and in the end times, where the enemies accumulate in the north, but then also in the south. Natural catastrophes come as a precursor to these events. However, a heavenly rescue will come at just the right time. In the meantime we seek to build the kingdom of God as instructed in the Great Commission.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20