Prophetic Books Test 2

Front 1

List some characteristics of the book of Jeremiah

Back 1

The book of Jeremiah is the autobiography; prophesied during one of Judah’s darkest periods.

Front 2

List the conditions in which Jeremiah prophesied

Back 2

Apostasy, idolatry, perverted worship, moral decay – he proclaimed that message of doom faithfully for forty years.

Front 3

What sorrows did Jeremiah experience at the hands of his countrymen?

Back 3

Opposition,
Beatings,
Isolation,
Imprisonment

Front 4

Where did Jeremiah come from; in Judah?

Back 4

the priest city of Anathoth

Front 5

What does the Hebrew name of Jeremiah mean?

Back 5

lYirmeyahu or Yirmeyah iterally means “Yahwey Throws,” perhaps in the sense of laying a foundation.

It may effectively mean “Yahweh establishes, appoints, or sends.”

Front 6

Who is Jeremiah?

Back 6

Jeremiah, who served as both a priest and a prophet, was the son of Hilkiah the priest

Front 7

What was Jeremiah's Message?

Back 7

A radical message of God’s judgment through the coming Babylonian invasion, which led to a life of conflict.

Front 8

Describe the specific oppostion he recieved from his countrymen

Back 8

He was threatened in his hometown of Anathoth, tried for his life by the priests and prophets of Jerusalem, put in stocks, forced to flee from king Jehoiakim, publicly humiliated by the false prophets Hananiah, and thrown into a cistern.

Front 9

Authorship of Jeeremiah

Back 9

The book clearly states that Jeremiah is its author (1:1).

Jeremiah dictated all his prophecies to his secretary Baruch from the beginning of his ministry until the fourth year of Jehoiakim.

After this scroll was destroyed by the king, Jeremiah dictated a more complete edition to Baruch (see 36 – 38), and later sections were also composed.

Front 10

Date and setting of Jeremiah

Back 10

Jeremiah was a contemporary of Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Daniel, and Ezekiel.

His ministry stretched from 627 to about 580 B.C. (~50 years)

Josiah, Judah’s last good king (640-609 B.C.) instituted spiritual reforms when the
Book of the Law was discovered in 622 B.C.

Front 11

Name the three stages in Jeremiah’s ministry:

Back 11

From 627 to 605 B.C. he prophesied while Judah was threatened by Assyrian and Egypt.
From 605 to 586 B.C. he proclaimed God’s judgment while Judah was threatened and besieged by Babylon.
From 586 to about 580 B.C. he ministered to Jerusalem and Egypt after Judah’s downfall.

Front 12

Theme and purpose of Jeremiah

Back 12

In Jeremiah, God is seen as patient and holy – He has delayed judgment and appealed to his people to repent before it is too late.

God’s warning was clear: Judah’s time for repentance would soon pass.
Because they defied God’s words and refused to repent, the Babylonian captivity was inevitable.
Jeremiah listed the moral and spiritual causes for their coming catastrophe, but he also proclaimed God’s gracious promise of hope and restoration.

There will always be a remnant and God will establish a covenant.

Front 13

What does the object lesson of Potter's House demonstrated.

Back 13

A ruined vessel could be repaired while still wet (18:1-4), but once dried, a marred vessel was fit only for the garbage heap (19:10-11).

Front 14

Jeremiah Key Word

Back 14

Judah’s Last Hour

Front 15

Key Verses

Back 15

(7:23 – 24; 8:11 – 12) “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward” (7:23 – 24)
“’ For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; in the time of their punishment they shall be cast down,’ says the Lord” (8:11-12)

Front 16

Key Chapter

Back 16

(31) – Amid all the judgment and condemnation of Jeremiah are the wonderful promises of Jeremiah 31. Even though Judah has broken the covenants of her great King, God will make a new covenant when He will “put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (31:33). The Messiah instituted that new covenant with His death and resurrection (cf. Matt. 26:26 – 29).

Front 17

Christ in Jeremiah

Back 17

The Messiah is clearly seen as the coming Shepherd and the righteous Branch who “shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (23:5-6).

He will bring in the new covenant (31:31-34), which will fulfill God’s covenants, with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-8), Moses and the people (Deut. 28 – 30), and David (2 Sam. 7:1-7)

Front 18

Survey of Jeremiah

Back 18

Jeremiah is a record of the ministry of one of Judah’s greatest prophets during its darkest days.

He is called as a prophet during the reign of Josiah, the last of Judah’s good kings.

But even Josiah’s well intentioned reforms cannot stem the tide of apostasy.

The downhill slide of the nation continues virtually unabated

Front 19

Call, training, and early ministry

Back 19

The LORD called Jeremiah to prophetic ministry in about 627 BC, about one year after Josiah king of Judah had turned the nation toward repentance from the widespread idolatrous practices of his father and grandfather.

Jeremiah was appointed to reveal the sins of the people and the coming consequences.

God told Jeremiah to “Get yourself ready!”

Front 20

The disciplines required for Jeremiah to be successful in His calling are specified in Jeremiah 1.

Back 20

They are:
not being afraid,
standing up to speak,
speaking as told, and
going where you are sent.

Front 21

Name the three stages in Jeremiah’s ministry:

Back 21

From 627 to 605 B.C. he prophesied while Judah was threatened by Assyrian and Egypt.
From 605 to 586 B.C. he proclaimed God’s judgment while Judah was threatened and besieged by Babylon.
From 586 to about 580 B.C. he ministered to Jerusalem and Egypt after Judah’s downfall.

Front 22

Theme and purpose of Jeremiah

Back 22

In Jeremiah, God is seen as patient and holy – He has delayed judgment and appealed to his people to repent before it is too late.

God’s warning was clear: Judah’s time for repentance would soon pass.
Because they defied God’s words and refused to repent, the Babylonian captivity was inevitable.
Jeremiah listed the moral and spiritual causes for their coming catastrophe, but he also proclaimed God’s gracious promise of hope and restoration.

There will always be a remnant and God will establish a covenant.

Front 23

What does the object lesson of Potter's House demonstrated.

Back 23

A ruined vessel could be repaired while still wet (18:1-4), but once dried, a marred vessel was fit only for the garbage heap (19:10-11).

Front 24

Jeremiah Key Word

Back 24

Judah’s Last Hour

Front 25

Key Verses

Back 25

(7:23 – 24; 8:11 – 12) “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward” (7:23 – 24)
“’ For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, saying, “Peace, peace!” when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed, nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; in the time of their punishment they shall be cast down,’ says the Lord” (8:11-12)

Front 26

Key Chapter

Back 26

(31) – Amid all the judgment and condemnation of Jeremiah are the wonderful promises of Jeremiah 31. Even though Judah has broken the covenants of her great King, God will make a new covenant when He will “put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (31:33). The Messiah instituted that new covenant with His death and resurrection (cf. Matt. 26:26 – 29).

Front 27

Christ in Jeremiah

Back 27

The Messiah is clearly seen as the coming Shepherd and the righteous Branch who “shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (23:5-6).

He will bring in the new covenant (31:31-34), which will fulfill God’s covenants, with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-8), Moses and the people (Deut. 28 – 30), and David (2 Sam. 7:1-7)

Front 28

Survey of Jeremiah

Back 28

Jeremiah is a record of the ministry of one of Judah’s greatest prophets during its darkest days.

He is called as a prophet during the reign of Josiah, the last of Judah’s good kings.

But even Josiah’s well intentioned reforms cannot stem the tide of apostasy.

The downhill slide of the nation continues virtually unabated

Front 29

Call, training, and early ministry

Back 29

The LORD called Jeremiah to prophetic ministry in about 627 BC, about one year after Josiah king of Judah had turned the nation toward repentance from the widespread idolatrous practices of his father and grandfather.

Jeremiah was appointed to reveal the sins of the people and the coming consequences.

God told Jeremiah to “Get yourself ready!”

Front 30

The disciplines required for Jeremiah to be successful in His calling are specified in Jeremiah 1.

Back 30

They are:
not being afraid,
standing up to speak,
speaking as told, and
going where you are sent.

Front 31

Other disciplines that contributed to the training and confirmation of his message are described as:

Back 31

not turning to the people,
not marrying or fathering children, not going to weddings or funerals,
not sitting in a house with feasting, and not sitting in the company of merrymakers.

Front 32

In his early ministry, Jeremiah was primarily a preaching prophet, what were the oracles in Jerusalem and Judah that he preached:

Back 32

supported the reform program of Josiah,
predicted consequences for past sins, urged whole-hearted repentance from lusting after idols, and
condemned the greed of priests and prophets in supporting false religion for monetary gain.

Front 33

Examples of priestly/prophetic defiance (Jeremiah 28)

Back 33

During the reign of king Zedekiah, The LORD instructed Jeremiah to make a yoke out of straps and wooden crossbars as a visual confirmation of the message that the nation would be subject to the king of Babylon.
The prophet Hananiah took the yoke off of Jeremiah’s neck, broke it, and prophesied to the priests and all the people that within two years the LORD would break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Shortly thereafter, the LORD spoke to Jeremiah:

Front 34

Describer the account of Pashhur in Jeremiah 20

Back 34

After Jeremiah had prophesied disaster for Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, Pashhur the priest, chief officer in the temple, beat Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks overnight.

After this, Jeremiah expresses lament over the difficulty that speaking God’s word has caused him and regrets becoming a laughingstock and the target of mockery.

He recounts how if he tries to shut the word of the LORD inside and not mention God’s name, the word becomes like fire in his heart and he is unable to hold it in.

The experiences are so troubling for Jeremiah, that he expresses regret at ever being born.

Front 35

Describe the threatening of Death and Imprisonment by Zedekiah’s Officers

Back 35

After Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be handed over to the Babylonian army, the king’s officials, including Pashhur the priest, tried to convince King Zedekiah that Jeremiah should be put to death because he is discouraging the soldiers as well as the people.

Zedekiah answered that he would not oppose them.

Consequently, the king’s officials took Jeremiah and put him down into a cistern, where he sank down into the mire (mud).

The intent seemed to be to kill Jeremiah by allowing him to starve to death in a manner designed to allow the officials to claim to be innocent of his blood.

A Cushite rescued Jeremiah by pulling him out of the cistern, but Jeremiah remained imprisoned until Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army in 587 BC.

The Babylonians released Jeremiah, and showed him great kindness, allowing Jeremiah to choose the place of his residence, according to a Babylonian edict.

Jeremiah accordingly went to Mizpah in Benjamin with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea.

Front 36

Describe the book of Lamentations

Back 36

The book of Lamentations is the saddest book of the Old Testament. It was penned by the mourning prophet Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem. In five “dirges of death,” Jeremiah expresses the horror and helplessness of seeing the Jews’ proudest city reduced to rubble. Defeat, slaughter, and ruination – the horrors so long promised and so frequently ignored – now fall from the hands of the brutal Babylonians.

Front 37

Introduction and Title of Lamentations

Back 37

The Hebrew title of this book comes from the first word of chapters 1 – 2, and 4; Ekah, “Ah, how!”
Another Hebrew word Ginoth (“Elegies” or “Lamentations”) has also been used as the title because it better represents the contents of the book.

Jeremiah writes his lament in acrostic or alphabetic fashion.
Beginning each chapter with the first letter A (aleph) he progresses verses by verse through the Hebrew alphabet, literally weeping from A to Z.
Yet, in the midst of it all he crys out “Great is Your faithfulness” (3:23).

Front 38

Authorship of Lamentations

Back 38

The author of Lamentations is unnamed in the book, but internal and external evidence is consistently in favor of Jeremiah.

Front 39

External Evidence of the Authorship

Back 39

The universal consensus of early Jewish and Christian tradition attributes this book to Jeremiah.
The superscription to Lamentations in the Septuagint says; “And it came to pass, after Israel had been carried away captive, and Jerusalem had become desolate, that Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented with this lamentation over Jerusalem, saying…”This is also the position of the Talmud, the Aramaic Targum of Jonathan, and early Christian writers, such as Origen and Jerome. In addition, 2nd Chronicles 35:25 says that “Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah.”
This was an earlier occasion, but Jeremiah was obviously familiar with the lament form.

Front 40

Internal Evidence:

Back 40

The scene in this graphic book were clearly portrayed by an eyewitness of Jerusalem’s siege and fall soon after the destruction took place (cf. 1:13-15; 2:6, 9; 4:1-12).
Jeremiah witnessed the fall of Jerusalem and remained behind after the captives were deported (see Jer. 39).
Although some critics claim that the style of Lamentations is different from the Book of Jeremiah, the similarities are in fact striking and numerous, especially in the poetic sections of Jeremiah.
The same compassion, sympathy, and grief over Judah’s downfall are evident in both books.

Front 41

Date and Setting of Lamentations

Back 41

The book was written soon after Jerusalem’s destruction (Jer. 39; 52) at the beginning of the Exile.
Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem from January 588 B.C. to July 586 B.C.

Jeremiah probably wrote these five elegies before he was taken captive to Egypt by his disobedient countrymen not long after the taken captive to Egypt by his disobedient countrymen not long after the destruction (Jer. 43:1-7).

Front 42

What are the three themes that run through the five laments of Jeremiah

Back 42

The most prominent is the theme of mourning over Jerusalem’s holocaust.

The second theme is a confession of sin and acknowledgment of God’s righteous and holy judgment upon Judah.

The third theme is least prominent but very important: it is a note of hope in God’s future restoration of His people.

Front 43

Theme and Purpose of Lamentations

Back 43

Yahweh has poured out His wrath, but in His mercy He will be faithful to His covenant promises.

Front 44

Keys to Lamentations

Back 44

Key Word: Lamentations

Key Verses (2:5-6; 3:22-23)

Key Chapter (3): In the midst of five chapters of ruin, destruction, and utter hopelessness, Jeremiah rises and grasps with strong faith the promises and character of God.

Front 45

Christ in Lamentations

Back 45

The weeping prophet Jeremiah is a type of Christ, the Prophet who wept over the same city six centuries later.

Front 46

Christ in Lamentations (Con't)

Back 46

Like Christ, Jeremiah identified himself personally with the plight of Jerusalem and with human suffering caused by sin.

Lamentations also includes elements that typify Christ’s life and ministry as the Man of Sorrows who was acquainted with grief.

He was afflicted (1:12; 3:19), despised, and derided by His enemies (2:15-16; 3:14, 30).

Front 47

Contributions to the Bible

Back 47

In the Hebrew text, the first four chapters of Lamentations are alphabetic acrostics.

While the Book of Jeremiah primarily anticipates the fall of Jerusalem, Lamentations reflects back upon it:


This elaborate structure stands in balanced contrast to the passionate and dramatic outpouring of grief in these 5 lament poems.

The Jews publicly read this vivid and tragic book each year to commemorate Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 B.C. and again in A.D. 70.

In the Hebrew Bible it was placed in the Megilloth (the “five rolls”) along with the Song of Solomon, Ruth, Esther, and Ecclesiastes.

Front 48

Survey of Lamentations

Back 48

For forty years Jeremiah suffers rejection and abuse for his warnings of coming judgment.

When Nebuchadnezzar finally comes and destroys Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Jeremiah compassionately identifies with the tragic overthrow of Jerusalem and composes five beautiful and emotional lament poems as a funeral for the once proud city.

Front 49

Survey of Lamentations (cont.)

Back 49

The city, the temple, the palace, and the walls have been reduced to rubble and its inhabitants have been deported to distant Babylon.
Jeremiah’s five mournful poems can be entitled:

The Destruction of Jerusalem (1);
The Anger of Jehovah (2);
The Prayer for Mercy (3);
The Siege of Jerusalem (4); and
The Prayer for Restoration (5).

Front 50

The Destruction of Jerusalem

Back 50

This poem consists of a lamentation by Jeremiah (1:1-11) and a lamentation by the personified Jerusalem (1:12-22).

The city has been left desolate because of its grievous sins, and her enemies “mocked at her downfall” (1:7)

Jerusalem pleads with God to regard her misery and repay her adversaries.

Front 51

The Anger of Jehovah

Back 51

In his second elegy, Jeremiah moves from Jerusalem’s desolation to a description of her destruction.
Babylon has destroyed the city, but only as the Lord’s instrument of judgment.
Jeremiah presents an eyewitness account of the thoroughness and severity of Jerusalem’s devastation.
Through the Babylonians, God has terminated all religious observances, removed the priests, prophets, and kings, and razed the temple and palaces.
Jeremiah grieves over the suffering the people brought on themselves through rebellion against God, and Jerusalem’s supplications complete the lament.

Front 52

The Prayer for Mercy

Back 52

In the first eighteen versus, Jeremiah enters into the miseries and despair of his people and makes them his own.

However, we observe an abrupt turn in verses 19-39 as the prophet reflects on the faithfulness and loyal love of the compassionate God of Israel.

These truths enable him to find comfort and hope in spite of his dismal circumstances.

Jeremiah expresses his deep sorrow and petitions God for deliverance and for God to avenge Jerusalem’s misery.

Front 53

The Siege of Jerusalem

Back 53

The prophet rehearses the siege of Jerusalem and remembers the suffering and starvation of rich and poor.

He also reviews the causes of the siege, especially the sins of the prophets and priests, and their foolish trust in human aid.

This poem closes with a warning to Edom of future punishment and a glimmer of hope for Jerusalem..

Front 54

The Prayer of Restoration

Back 54

Jeremiah’s last elegy is a melancholy description of his people’s lamentable state.

Their punishment is complete, and Jeremiah prayerfully desires the restoration of his nation.

Front 55

Introduction to Ezekiel

Back 55

Ezekiel prophesies among the Jewish exiles in Babylon during the last days of Judah’s decline and downfall.

His ministry is in some ways similar to that of his older contemporary Jeremiah.

Ezekiel brings a warming message of reconstruction in Babylon.

Front 56

Introduction to Ezekiel (Con't)

Back 56

Ezekiel is a man of visions.
His visions stretch from horror to hope: from condemnation upon Judah’s faithless leaders and godless foes, to consolation regarding Judah’s future.

Through it all, mankind would see the glory of Israel’s sovereign God, and “’they shall know that I am the Lord’” (6:10).

Front 57

Introdudtion and Title

Back 57

Ezekiel, a priest and a prophet, ministers during the darkest days of Judah’s history: the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity.
Carried to Babylon before the final assault on Jerusalem.
Ezekiel uses prophecies, parables, signs, and symbols to dramatize God’s message to His exiled people.
Though they are like dry bones in the sun, God will reassemble them and breathe life into the nation once again.
Present judgment will be followed by future glory so that “you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Front 58

Introduction and Title

Back 58

Ezekiel, a priest and a prophet, ministers during the darkest days of Judah’s history: the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity.
Carried to Babylon before the final assault on Jerusalem.
Ezekiel uses prophecies, parables, signs, and symbols to dramatize God’s message to His exiled people.
Though they are like dry bones in the sun, God will reassemble them and breathe life into the nation once again.
Present judgment will be followed by future glory so that “you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Front 59

Introduction and Title (cont.)

Back 59

The Hebrew name yehezke’l means “God strengthens” or “strengthened by God.”

The name occurs twice in the book and nowhere else in the Old Testament.

Front 60

Author

Back 60

Ezekiel the son of Buzi (1:3) had a wife who died as a sign to Judah when Nebuchadnezzar began his final siege on Jerusalem (24:16-24).
He was a priest who was called to be a prophet of the Lord. His prophetic ministry shows a priestly emphasis in his concern with the temple, priesthood, sacrifices, and shekinah (the glory of God).
Ezekiel was privileged to receive a number of visions of the power and plan of God, and he was careful and artistic in his written presentation.

Front 61

Author (Con't)

Back 61

The first person singular is used throughout the book, indicating that it is the work of a single personality.
This person is identified as Ezekiel (1:3; 24:24), and internal evidence supports the unity and integrity of Ezekiel’s prophetic record.
The style, language, and thematic development phrases are repeated throughout, such as, “They shall know that I am the Lord,” “Son of man,” “the word of the Lord came to me,” and the “glory of the Lord.”

Front 62

Date and Setting

Back 62

fNebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in three stages.
First, in 605 B.C., He overcame Jehoiakim and carried off key hostages including Daniel and his friends.
Second, in 597 B.C., the rebellion of Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin brought further punishment; and Nebuchadnezzar made Jerusalem submit a second time.
He carried off ten thousand hostages including Jehoiachin and Ezekiel.
Third, in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city after a long siege and disrupted all of Judah.

Front 63

Date and Setting (cont.)

Back 63

If “thirtieth year” in chapter 1, verse 1, refers to Ezekiel’s age, he was twenty-five years old when he was taken to Babylon and thirty years old when he received his prophetic commission (1:2-3).
This means he was about seventeen when Daniel was deported in 605 B.C., so that Ezekiel and Daniel were about the same age.
Both men were about twenty years younger that Jeremiah who was ministering in Jerusalem.
According to the chronology, Ezekiel was born in 622 B.C., deported to Babylon in 597 B.C., prophesied from 592 to about 570 B.C., and died about 560 B.C.

Front 64

Date and Setting (cont.)

Back 64

Thus, he overlapped the end of Jeremiah’s ministry and the beginning of Daniel’s ministry.

By the time Ezekiel arrived in Babylon, Daniel was already well known; and he is mentioned three times in Ezekiel’s prophecy (14:14, 20; 28:3).

Ezekiel’s Babylonian home was at Tel Abib, the principal colony of Jewish exiles along the river Chebnar, Nebuchadnezzar’s “Grand Canal” (1:1; 3:15, 23).

Front 65

Date and Setting (cont.)

Back 65

From 592 to 586 B.C., Ezekiel found it necessary to convince the disbelieving Jewish exiles that there was no hope of immediate deliverance.
But it was not until they heard that Jerusalem was destroyed that their false hopes of returning were abandoned.
Ezekiel no doubt wrote this book shortly after the incidents recorded in it occurred.
His active ministry lasted for at least twenty-two years (1:2; 29:17), and his book was probably completed by 565 B.C.

Front 66

Theme and Purpose

Back 66

Like most of the other prophets, Ezekiel’s two-fold theme was condemnation (1 – 32) and consolation (33 – 48).

His ministry to the early Jewish exiles in Babylon was similar to Jeremiah’s ministry in Jerusalem.

He surveyed the sins which were bringing God’s judgment upon the people of Judah and exposed the foolishness of their false hopes of an early return to their homeland.

Front 67

Theme and Purpose (cont.)

Back 67

God’s judgment on Jerusalem and its temple would surely strike and the Babylonian exile would not be brief.

When the city fell, Ezekiel comforted the people by assuring them of God’s covenant promise of future blessing and complete restoration.

Ezekiel’s section on divine consolation is more detailed and extensive than that of his contemporary Jeremiah.

Front 68

Theme and Purpose (cont.)

Back 68

Ezekiel places a strong emphasis on the sovereignty, glory, and faithfulness of God.

He concentrates on the temple with its perversion, destruction, and restoration.

Another temple-related theme is Ezekiel’s fascinating portrayal of God’s heavenly glory (1:28; 3:12, 23), God’s departing glory (9:3; 10:4, 18-19; 11:22-23), and God’s earthly glory (43:1-5; 44:4).

The sovereign purpose of God through judgment and blessing alike is that His people come to know that He is Lord.

Front 69

Keys to Ezekiel

Back 69

Key Word: Restoration of Israel
Key Verses: Ezekiel 36:24-26; 36:33-35

Front 70

Keys to Ezekiel (Con't)

Back 70

Key Verses: Ezekiel 36:24-26; 36:33-35

“Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited;’” (36:33 – 33)
Key Chapter: Ezekiel 37 – Central to the hope of the restoration of Israel is the vision of the valley of the dry bones. Ezekiel 37 outlines with clear steps Israel’s future.

Front 71

Christ in Ezekiel

Back 71

Chapter 17, verses 22-24, depicts the Messiah as a tender twig that becomes a stately cedar on a lofty mountain, as He is similarly called the Branch in Isaiah (11:1), Jeremiah (23:5; 33:15), and Zechariah (3:8; 6:12).

The Messiah is the King who has the right to rule (21:36-27), and He is the true Shepherd who will deliver and feed His flock (34:11-31).

Front 72

Contributions to the Bible

Back 72

Ezekiel is a book of methodical style, careful dating, and diligent organization.

But this exacting framework houses an unsurpassed depth of mystery and richness of vibrant imagery, symbolism, parables, allegories, and apocalyptic visions.

God told him “I have made you a sign to the house of Israel” (12:6).

Front 73

Contributions to the Bible (cont.)

Back 73

Nine signs are found in chapter 4-24 and a tenth is in chapter 37 (4:1-3, 4-8, 9-17; 5:1-17; 12:1-7, 17-20; 21:1-17, 18-23; 22:17-31; 24:15-27; 37:15-17).

Ezekiel and six parables (15:1-8; 16; 17:1-21, 22-24; 23; 24:1-14).

Apocalyptic passages are scattered throughout the book (6:1-14; 7:5-12; 20:33-44; 28:25-26; 34:25-31; 36:8-15, 33:36; 38-39; 47:1-12).

Front 74

Contributions to the Bible (cont.)

Back 74

Some of his images and visions are difficult to interpret, and this is especially true of chapters 40 – 48.

Students of the Bible are divided over a spiritual and literal interpretation of these chapters..

Those who hold the spiritual view argue that the sacrificial system has been fulfilled and abolished in Christ, that there is no temple in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:22), and that these descriptions are being spiritually fulfilled in the church.

Front 75

Contributions to the Bible (cont.)

Back 75

Those who hold the literal view argue:

that the detailed measurements and lengthy description would be meaningless unless understood literally,
that the sacrifices are memorial in nature,
that this will be in effect only in the millennial kingdom before the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21 appears, and
that Israel’s covenant promises are not fulfilled in the church.

Front 76

Survey of Ezekiel

Back 76

Ezekiel prophesies among the Jewish exiles in Babylon during the last days of Judah’s decline and downfall.
This message of judgment is similar to that of his older contemporary Jeremiah who has remained in Jerusalem.
Judah will be judged because of her unfaithfulness, but God promises her future restoration and blessing.
Like Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel proclaims a message of horror and hope, of condemnation and consolation.

Front 77

Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

Back 77

But Ezekiel places special emphasis on the glory of Israel’s sovereign God who says, “They shall know that I am the Lord.”
The book breaks in four sections:

The commission of Ezekiel (1-3);
The judgment on Judah (4-24);
The judgment on the Gentiles (24-32); and
The restoration of Israel (33-48).

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Commission of Ezekiel (1-3)
God gives Ezekiel an overwhelming vision of His divine glory and commissions him to be His prophet (cf. the experiences of Moses in Ex. 3:1-10; Isaiah in 6:10, Daniel in 10:5-14, and John in Rev. 1:12-19).

Ezekiel is given instruction, enablement, and responsibility.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Commission of Ezekiel (1-3)
God gives Ezekiel an overwhelming vision of His divine glory and commissions him to be His prophet (cf. the experiences of Moses in Ex. 3:1-10; Isaiah in 6:10, Daniel in 10:5-14, and John in Rev. 1:12-19).

Ezekiel is given instruction, enablement, and responsibility.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Judgment on Judah (4-24)
Ezekiel directs his prophecies against the nation God chose for Himself.
The prophet’s signs and sermons (4-7) point to the certainty of Judah’s judgment.
In chapters 8-11, Judah’s past sins and coming doom are seen in a series of visions of the abominations in the temple, the slaying of the wicked, and the departing glory of God.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Judgment on Judah (4-24) – (cont.)
The priests and princes are condemned as the Glory leaves the temple, moves to the Mount of Olives, and disappears in the east.
Chapters 12-24 speak of the causes and extent of Judah’s coming judgment through dramatic signs, powerful sermons, and parables.
Judah’s prophets are counterfeits and her elders are idolatrous.

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Survey of Ezekiel (Con't)

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The Judgment on Judah (4-24) – (cont.)
The priests and princes are condemned as the Glory leaves the temple, moves to the Mount of Olives, and disappears in the east.
Chapters 12-24 speak of the causes and extent of Judah’s coming judgment through dramatic signs, powerful sermons, and parables.
Judah’s prophets are counterfeits and her elders are idolatrous.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Judgment on Judah (4-24) – (cont.)
They have become a fruitless vine and an adulterous wife.
Babylon will swoop down like an eagle and pluck them up, and they will not be aided by Egypt.
The people are responsible for their own sins, and they are not being unjustly judged for the sins of their ancestors.
Judah has been unfaithful, but God promises that her judgment ultimately will be followed by restoration.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Judgment on the Gentiles (25-32)
Judah’s nearest neighbors may gloat over her destruction, but they will be next in line.
They too will suffer the fate of siege and destruction by Babylon.
Ezekiel shows the full circle of judgment on the nations that surround Judah by following them in a clockwise circuit: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, Tyre, and Sidon (25-28).

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Judgment on the Gentiles (25-32) – (cont.)
He spends a disproportionate amount of time on Tyre, and many scholars believe that the “king of Tyre” (28:11-19) may be Satan, the real power behind the nation.
Chapters 29 – 32 contain a series of oracles against Egypt.
Unlike the nations in chapters 25 – 28 that were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
Egypt will continue to exist, but as “the lowliest of the kingdoms,” still not recovering its former glory or influence.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Restoration of Israel (33-48)
The prophecies in these chapters were given after the overthrow of Jerusalem.
Now that the promised judgment has come, Ezekiel’s message no longer centers on coming judgment but on the positive theme of comfort and consolation.
Just as surely as judgment has come, blessing will also come; God’s people will be re-gathered and restored.

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The Restoration of Israel (33-48) – (cont.)

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)
The mouth of Ezekiel, God’s watchman, is opened when eh is told that Jerusalem has been taken.
Judah has had false shepherds (rulers), but the true Shepherd will lead them in the future.
The vision of the valley of dry bones pictures the reanimation of the nation by the Spirit of God.
Israel and Judah will be purified and reunited.
There will be an invasion by the northern armies of God, but Israel will be saved because the Lord will destroy the invading forces.

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Survey of Ezekiel (cont.)

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The Restoration of Israel (33-48) – (cont.)
In 572 B.C., fourteen years after the destruction of Jerusalem, Ezekiel returns in a vision to the fallen city and is given detailed specifications of the reconstruction of the temple, the city, and the land (40-48).
After an intricate description of the new outer court, and temple (40-42), Ezekiel views the return of the glory of the Lord to the temple from the east.
Regulations concerning worship in the coming temple (43-46) are followed by revelations concerning the new land and city (47-48).

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Daniel

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Daniel, sometimes referred to as the “Apocalypse of the Old Testament,” presents a majestic sweep of prophetic history.

The Babylonians, Persons, Greeks, and Romans will come and go, but God will establish His people forever.

Nowhere is this theme more apparent than in the life of Daniel, a young God-fearing Jew transplanted from his homeland and raised in Babylonia.

His adventures – and the lions’ den show that even during the Exile God has not forgotten His chosen nation.

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Through Daniel, God provides dreams – and
interpretations of dreams – designed to convince Jew
and Gentile alike that wisdom and power belong to
God alone!

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Introduction and Title

Daniel’s life and ministry bridge the entire seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity.

Deported to Babylon at the age of sixteen, and handpicked for government service, Daniel becomes God’s prophetic mouthpiece to the gentile and Jewish world declaring God’s present and eternal purpose.

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Introduction and Title (cont.)

Nine of the twelve chapters in his book revolve around dreams, including God-given visions involving trees, animals, beasts, and images.

In both his personal adventures and prophetic visions, Daniel shows God’s guidance, intervention, and power in the affairs of men.

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Introduction and Title (cont.)

The name Daniye’l or Dani’el means “God Is My Judge,” and the book of course named after the author and principal character.

The Greek form Daniel in the Septuagint is the basis for the Latin and English titles.

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Author

Daniel and his three friends were evidently born into noble Judean families and were “young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking and gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand” (1:4).

He was given three years of training in the best of Babylon’s schools (1:5).

As part of the re-identification process, he was given a new name that honored one of the Babylonian deities: Belteshazzar meant “Bel Protect His Life” (see 1:7; 4:8; Jer. 51:44).

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Author (cont.)

Daniel’s wisdom and divinely given interpretive abilities brought him into a position of prominence, especially in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius.

He is one of the few well-known Bible characters about whom nothing negative is ever written.

His life was characterized by faith, prayer, courage, consistency, and lack of compromise.

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Author (cont.)

This “greatly beloved” man (9:23; 10:11, 19) was mentioned three times by his sixth-century B.C. contemporary Ezekiel as an example of righteousness.

Daniel claimed to write this book (12:4), and he used the autobiographical first person from chapter 7, verse 2, onward.

The Jewish Talmud agrees with this testimony, and Christ attributed a quote from chapter 9, verse 27, to “Daniel the prophet” (Matt. 24:15)

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Date and Setting

Babylon rebelled against the Assyrian Empire in 626 B.C. and overthrew the Assyrian capital of Nineveh in 612 B.C.

Babylon became the master of the Middle East when it defeated the Egyptian armies in 605 B.C.

Daniel was among those taken captive to Babylon that year when Nebuchadnezzar subdued Jerusalem.

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Date and Setting (cont.)

He ministered fro the full duration of the Babylonian captivity as a prophet and a government official and continued on after Babylon was overcome by the Medes and Persians in 539 B.C.

His prophetic ministry was directed to the gentile courts of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar) and Persia (Darius and Cyrus), as well as to his Jewish countrymen.

Zerubbabel led a return of the Jews to Jerusalem in the first year of Cyrus, and Daniel lived and ministered at least until the third year of Cyrus (536 B.C.; 10:1).

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Date and Setting (cont.)

Daniel’s book was no doubt written by Cyrus’ ninth year (c. 530 B.C.).

As he predicted, the Persian Empire continued until Alexander the Great (11:2-3) who stretched the Greek Empire as far east as India.

The Romans later displaced the Greeks as rulers of the Middle East.

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Date and Setting (cont.)


For various reasons, many critics have argued that Daniel is a fraudulent book that was written in the time of the Maccabees in the second century B.C., not the sixth century B.C. as it claims.

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Date and Setting (cont.)

But their arguments are not compelling:

The prophetic argument holds that Daniel could not have made such accurate predictions; it must be a “prophecy after the events.” Chapter 11 alone contains over one hundred specific prophecies of historical events that literally came true. The author, the critics say, must have lived at the time of Antiochus Epiphanes (175 – 163 B.C.) and probably wrote this to strengthen the faith of the Jews. But this argument was developed out of a theological bias that assumes true prophecy cannot take place. It also implies that the work was intentionally deceptive.

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Date and Setting (cont.)

But their arguments are not compelling:

The linguistic argument claims that the book uses a late Aramaic in chapters 2-7 and that the Persian and Greek words also point to a late date. But recent discoveries shows that Daniel’s Aramaic is actually a form of the early Imperial Aramaic. Daniel’s use of some Persian words is no argument for a late date since he continued living in the Persian period under Cyrus. The only Greek words are names of musical instruments in chapter 3, and this comes as no surprise since there were Greek mercenaries in the Assyrian and Babylonian armies. Far more Greek words would be expected if the book were written in the second century B.C.

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Date and Setting (cont.)

But their arguments are not compelling:

The historical argument asserts that Daniel’s historical blunders argue for a late date. But recent evidence has demonstrated the historical accuracy of Daniel. Inscriptions found at Haran show that Belshazzar reigned in Babylon while his father Nabonidus was fighting the invading Persians. And Darius the Mede (5:31; 6:1) has been identified as Gubaru, a governor appointed by Cyrus.

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Theme and Purpose

Daniel was written to encourage the exiled Jews by revealing God’s sovereign program for Israel during and after the period of gentile domination.

The Times of the Gentiles began with the Babylonian captivity, and Israel would suffer under gentile powers for many years.

But this period is not permanent, and a time will come when God will establish the messianic kingdom which will last forever.

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Theme and Purpose (cont.)

Daniel repeatedly emphasizes the sovereignty and power of God over human affairs.

“The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses” (4:25b).

The God who directs the forces of history has not deserted His people.

They must continue to trust in Him, because His promises of preservation and ultimate restoration are as sure as the coming of the Messiah.

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Keys to Daniel

Key Word: God’s Plan for Israel
Key Verses (2:20-22; 2:44) – “Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him’” (2:20-22).
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (2:44)

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Keys to Daniel

Key Chapter (9) –

Daniel prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (9:24-27) provides the chronological frame for messianic prediction from the time of Daniel to the establishment of the kingdom on earth. It is clear that the first sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. Some scholars affirm that the last week has not yet been fulfilled because Christ relates its main events to His second coming (Matt. 24:6, 15). Others perceive these words of Christ as applying to the Roman desecration of the temple in A.D. 70.

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Keys to Daniel

Key Chapter (9) –

Daniel prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (9:24-27) provides the chronological frame for messianic prediction from the time of Daniel to the establishment of the kingdom on earth. It is clear that the first sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. Some scholars affirm that the last week has not yet been fulfilled because Christ relates its main events to His second coming (Matt. 24:6, 15). Others perceive these words of Christ as applying to the Roman desecration of the temple in A.D. 70.

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Christ in Daniel

Christ is the Great Stone who will crush the kingdoms of this world (2:34-35, 44), the Son of Man who is given dominion by the Ancient of Days (7:13-14), and the coming Messiah who will be cut off (9:25-26).

It is likely that Daniel’s vision (10:5-9) was an appearance of Christ (cf. Rev. 1:12-16).

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Christ in Daniel (cont.)

The vision of the sixty-nine weeks (9:25-26) pinpoints the coming of the Messiah.
The decree (9:25) took place on March 4, 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8).
The sixty-nine weeks of seven years equals 483 years, or 173,880 days (using 360-day prophetic years).
This leads to March 29, A.D. 33, the date of the Triumphal Entry.
This is checked by noting that 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 is 476 years, and 476 times 365.24219 days per year equals 173,855 days.
Adding twenty-five for the difference between March 4 and March 29 gives 173,880 days.

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Contribution to the Bible

While Ezekiel emphasizes the nation’s religious restoration, Daniel concentrates on its political restoration.

Daniel was clearly a prophet, but he did not occupy the prophetic office by making public proclamations to the people as God’s representative like Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Therefore, this book was placed in the Writings, the third division of the Hebrew bible, rather than the Prophets.

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Contribution to the Bible

Because it is apocalyptic literature, Daniel has many similarities to Revelation, particularly in its imagery and symbolism.

Some believe that it was fulfilled before or during the first century A.D., but others believe that portions await fulfillment.

The second view argues that since the events of the sixty-nine weeks were literally fulfilled in the four kingdoms, the events of the Seventieth Week will be literally fulfilled in the future.

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Survey of Daniel

Daniel, the “Apocalypse of the Old Testament,” presents a surprisingly detailed and comprehensive sweep of prophetic history.
After an introductory chapter in Hebrew, Daniel switches to Aramaic in chapters 2-7 to describe the future course of the gentile world powers.
Then in chapters 8 – 12, Daniel reverts back to his native language to survey the future of the Jewish nation under gentile dominion.
The theme of God’s sovereign control in the affairs of world history clearly emerges and provides comfort to the future church, as well as to the Jews whose nation was destroyed by the Babylonians.

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Survey of Daniel (cont.)

The Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans will come and go, but God will establish His kingdom through His redeemed people forever.

Daniel’s three divisions are:

The personal history of Daniel (1)
The prophetic plan for the Gentiles (2 – 7); and
The prophetic plan for Israel (8 – 12).

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Survey of Daniel

The Personal History of Daniel (1):
This chapter introduces the book by giving the background and preparation of the prophet.
Daniel is deported along with other promising youths and placed in an intensive training program in Nebuchadnezzar’s court.
Their names and diets are changed so that they will lose their Jewish identification, but Daniel’s resolve to remain faithful to the Lord is rewarded.
He and his friends are granted wisdom and knowledge.

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Survey of Daniel (cont.)

The Prophetic Plan for Gentiles (2 - 7):
Only Daniel can relate and interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s disturbing dream of the great statue (2).
God empowers Daniel to foretell the way in which He will sovereignly raise and depose four gentile empires.
The Messiah’s kingdom will end the “Times of the Gentiles.”
Because of his position revealed in the dream, Nebuchadnezzar erects a golden image and demands that all bow to it (3).

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Survey of Daniel (cont.)

The Prophetic Plan for Gentiles (2 - 7) (cont.):
The persecution and preservation of Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace again illustrates the power of God.
After Nebuchadnezzar refuses to respond to the warning of his vision of the tree (4), he is humbled until he acknowledges the supremacy of God and the foolishness of his pride.
The feast of Belshazzar marks the end of the Babylonian kingdom (5).
Belshazzar is judged because of his arrogant defiance of God.

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Survey of Daniel (cont.)

The Prophetic Plan for Gentiles (2 - 7) (cont.):
In the reign of Darius, a plot against Daniel backfires when he is divinely delivered in the den of lions (6).
Daniel’s courageous faith is rewarded, and Darius learns a lesson about the might of the God of Israel.
The vision of the four beasts (7) supplements the four-part statue vision of chapter 2 in its portrayal of the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires.
But once again, “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever” (7:18)

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Survey of Daniel (cont.)

The Prophetic Plan for Israel (8 - 12):
The focus in chapter 8 narrows to a vision of the ram and goat that shows Israel under the Medo-Persian and Grecian empires.
Alexander the Great is the big horn (8:21) and Antiochus Epiphanes is the little horn (8:23).
After Daniel’s prayer of confession for his people, he is privileged to receive the revelation of the Seventy Weeks, including the Messiah’s atoning death (9).

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Survey of Daniel (cont.)

The Prophetic Plan for Israel (8 - 12) (cont.):
This gives the chronology of God’s perfect plan for the redemption and deliverance of His people.
Following is a great vision that gives amazing details of Israel’s future history (10 – 11).
Chapter 11 chronicles the coming kings of Persia and Greece, the wars between the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria, ant the persecution led by Antiochus.
God’s people will be saved out of tribulation and resurrected (12).

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The End!