Here we see the picture of Zephaniah. Zephaniah was of royal blood, as his blood line goes back to Hezekaih who was king during the ministry of the prophet Isaiah some seventy years before hand (2 Kings 22-23). He was also an ancestor of the Samuel (I Chon. 6:36). Zephaniah's name meant Jehovah is darkness and Jehovah is treasured. Which was very fitting of his ministry since he spoke against the Babylon rule that they were under during that time (2 Kings 25:18; Jer. 21:1, 37:3).
Zephaniah prophesied during the time of King Josiah's reign in Judah, letting the people all know why they were going through hard times & what it would take to please God again. He prophesied before the time of captivity. It is believed that Zephaniah was a prophet during the time of the prophet Jeremiah.
All in all, Zephaniah was faithful to carry out his duty during a hard time in Judah's history, and that is why his picture hangs in the great hall of faith.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Haggai~ had a passion for the temple of God and the hearts of the people
The next picture you will behold, is that of Haggai. He was one of the first prophet's that is sent to the people after the came out of captivity in Babylon. He was sent to preach to Zebrubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah and the high priest, Joshua the son of Josedech and to the people who had returned to Judah. .
When Haggai saw that the people had started to build the temple of God, but had stopped doing so out of selfishiness, he became angry. For he had a great love of God and the house of God. So he went to the two ruling heads there and spoke to them about this great sin of selfishness, with four messages. Around this time, the prophet Zechariah was also preaching about finishing the rebuilding of the temple (Ezr. 5:1-2; 6:14). Three weeks later, the work on the temple had started back up. So Haggai had a hand in getting the rebuilding of the temple finished.
But Haggai's passion wasn't just for the temple of God, but that the hearts of the people would also turn back to God . He addressed this on the book that bears his name. Why was this important to him? Because he had faith that when their bodies would return to the work of the Lord, their hearts would return also. He was not disappointed, for he was able to witness that.
When Haggai saw that the people had started to build the temple of God, but had stopped doing so out of selfishiness, he became angry. For he had a great love of God and the house of God. So he went to the two ruling heads there and spoke to them about this great sin of selfishness, with four messages. Around this time, the prophet Zechariah was also preaching about finishing the rebuilding of the temple (Ezr. 5:1-2; 6:14). Three weeks later, the work on the temple had started back up. So Haggai had a hand in getting the rebuilding of the temple finished.
But Haggai's passion wasn't just for the temple of God, but that the hearts of the people would also turn back to God . He addressed this on the book that bears his name. Why was this important to him? Because he had faith that when their bodies would return to the work of the Lord, their hearts would return also. He was not disappointed, for he was able to witness that.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Habakkuk~ one of God's watchmen on the wall journey of faith
Before you is the picture of Habakkuk. Habakkuk was one of God's watchmen on the wall before they were carried into captivity (Hab. 2:1-3). As he watched over the people of the world, he saw a great evil that troubled his soul. So he went and spoke to God about it. God let Habakkuk speak of how he was upset that God was not punishing the people doing evil. (Hab. 1:1-5). That is when God tells Habakkuk of His plan to use the Chaldean's to punish Judah (Hab. 5-17). At first, this answer does not satisfy him. That is when God tell Habakkuk to write down the vision that God had given him (Hab. 2:2). Than God told him that he would have to wait until the appointed time for all that he had been shown to come to pass. (Hab. 2:3). Then he was told of the judgement that would be on the Chaldean's (Hab. 2:4-20).
After Habakkuk is told all the vision, he prays a prayer and song unto the Lord. In it he goes from praying in fear, to prophesying of how God will deliver his people , to praising and worshiping God. In the end, his faith is strong, and that is why his picture hangs here in this hall of faith.
After Habakkuk is told all the vision, he prays a prayer and song unto the Lord. In it he goes from praying in fear, to prophesying of how God will deliver his people , to praising and worshiping God. In the end, his faith is strong, and that is why his picture hangs here in this hall of faith.
Nahum~ last prophet God sent to Nineveh to pronounce God's revenge upon them & to comfort Judah
The next picture we see in this great hall of faith, is that of Nahum. Nahum was an Elkoshite, who is believed to be from Judah. Nahum's name means full of compassion or comforter. This is interesting as his job was to preach against the city of Nineveh, which was the capital of Assyria.He did this before they were carried off into captivity. He was not sent to encourage them but to tell them of a couple of things that he had against them.
1. Was that since they had not stayed with the real God that Jonah had preached to them of, but turned to other gods (Nahum 1).
2. Was that they had attacked Judah ( Nahum 1; 2 Kings 18:13-19; Is. 36-37).
But Nineveh was not who Nahum was comforting. He was comforting those from Judah. He did this when he prophesied of how God would unleash His vengeance upon Nineveh (Nahum 2:11-12) destroying the city (Nahum 3). This was a great comfort to those in Judah since the city of Nineveh was considered an impregnable city. But this prophecy did come true as we see it destroyed in Zephaniah 2:13. Nahum also spoke of how God would deliver Judah (Nahum 3:1; 1:13-15). This too would bring comfort to Judah and gave them something to hold on to when times where hard.
I believe that it takes great faith to walk into the enemy's city and proclaim such judgement upon them, and that is why I believe that Nahum's picture hangs in this great hall of faith.
1. Was that since they had not stayed with the real God that Jonah had preached to them of, but turned to other gods (Nahum 1).
2. Was that they had attacked Judah ( Nahum 1; 2 Kings 18:13-19; Is. 36-37).
But Nineveh was not who Nahum was comforting. He was comforting those from Judah. He did this when he prophesied of how God would unleash His vengeance upon Nineveh (Nahum 2:11-12) destroying the city (Nahum 3). This was a great comfort to those in Judah since the city of Nineveh was considered an impregnable city. But this prophecy did come true as we see it destroyed in Zephaniah 2:13. Nahum also spoke of how God would deliver Judah (Nahum 3:1; 1:13-15). This too would bring comfort to Judah and gave them something to hold on to when times where hard.
I believe that it takes great faith to walk into the enemy's city and proclaim such judgement upon them, and that is why I believe that Nahum's picture hangs in this great hall of faith.
Malachi~ God's last prophet in the old testament
The next picture we see in this great hall of faith is that of Malachi. Malachi's name means messenger of God. There is no other mention of him in the Bible, except that he wrote this book. It is believed that he was a prophet during the time of Nehemiah because the situations he speaks about fits his time. Neither the less, God called Malachi to be the last prophet to speak against his people of their sins before Jesus was to come.
By the time that Malachi came along some of the prophecies of the other prophets had already come to pass, such as, the ones that had been spoken against Esau, his mountain and his heritage (Malachi 1:2-3). So he speaks to Israel's descendants letting them know what has to change before the promised Messiah could come.
Malachi's style is different than most of the prophets in that he is showing them a conversation between God people and God himself in the first three chapters. This shows that God knew the thoughts and hearts of the people. In this conversation, God is telling his people what they are doing wrong. Then it gives the peoples resplendence's.
I believe that Malachi was a man of great faith since he was preaching this to the people right after many of the judgements had already happened, such as Esau's family was wiped out, the city of Jerusalem had been attacked, many of the people had been carried away, and the walls of the city was in ruins. No one wants to hear, "I told you so!" But that is exactly what God had Malachi say to them.
But that is not all that God had called Malachi to tell his people. He had Malachi prophecy of the good God would bless them with when they did come back to God. The biggest blessing would be the fulfillment of the Messiah, who would save them from their sins. Malachi's words would be the last time God speaks to his people of this promise until John the Baptist. That is why he is in the great hall of faith!
By the time that Malachi came along some of the prophecies of the other prophets had already come to pass, such as, the ones that had been spoken against Esau, his mountain and his heritage (Malachi 1:2-3). So he speaks to Israel's descendants letting them know what has to change before the promised Messiah could come.
Malachi's style is different than most of the prophets in that he is showing them a conversation between God people and God himself in the first three chapters. This shows that God knew the thoughts and hearts of the people. In this conversation, God is telling his people what they are doing wrong. Then it gives the peoples resplendence's.
I believe that Malachi was a man of great faith since he was preaching this to the people right after many of the judgements had already happened, such as Esau's family was wiped out, the city of Jerusalem had been attacked, many of the people had been carried away, and the walls of the city was in ruins. No one wants to hear, "I told you so!" But that is exactly what God had Malachi say to them.
But that is not all that God had called Malachi to tell his people. He had Malachi prophecy of the good God would bless them with when they did come back to God. The biggest blessing would be the fulfillment of the Messiah, who would save them from their sins. Malachi's words would be the last time God speaks to his people of this promise until John the Baptist. That is why he is in the great hall of faith!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Micah~ prophet to those in leadership of both kingdoms
The next picture we see in this great hall of faith is Micah.
Micah the Morasthite, was called by God to go to both kingdoms and preach in the two capital cities which were Samaria & Jerusalem. Micah spoke against how they were following other gods,and making their religion a sham. They also, let their love of money make them become dishonest in business and depressed the helpless. Micah also prophesied that if they did not turn from their sins the judgments that God would allow them to experience. They did not turn from their wicked ways and Jerusalem was attacked and carried off into Babylon in 701 B.C. Samaria was destroyed in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 18:9-19:37). It is believed that Micah may have lived through both of these.
But that is not all that Micah prophesied about. he also prophesied on how God would restore Jerusalem to be the religious center of the world and have Bethlehem be the birthplace of God's savior.
It took a lot of faith for Micah to do this as King Ahab had many prophets killed during his reign. Jeremiah tells how King Hezeskiah had Micah killed (Jeremiah 26:18-19). So his faith stayed with him until his death.
Micah the Morasthite, was called by God to go to both kingdoms and preach in the two capital cities which were Samaria & Jerusalem. Micah spoke against how they were following other gods,and making their religion a sham. They also, let their love of money make them become dishonest in business and depressed the helpless. Micah also prophesied that if they did not turn from their sins the judgments that God would allow them to experience. They did not turn from their wicked ways and Jerusalem was attacked and carried off into Babylon in 701 B.C. Samaria was destroyed in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 18:9-19:37). It is believed that Micah may have lived through both of these.
But that is not all that Micah prophesied about. he also prophesied on how God would restore Jerusalem to be the religious center of the world and have Bethlehem be the birthplace of God's savior.
It took a lot of faith for Micah to do this as King Ahab had many prophets killed during his reign. Jeremiah tells how King Hezeskiah had Micah killed (Jeremiah 26:18-19). So his faith stayed with him until his death.
Jonah~ The reluctant prophet
The next picture we see is that of Jonah, the reluctant prophet. Let us take a closer look at him and see how God can use people who drag their feet and even build their faith.
Jonah was the son of Amitai. Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh in Assyria, and preach to them. For faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. but how can you hear without a preacher (Rom. 10:17). But Jonah didn't want to go,so he ran from God, to keep from having to listen to what God had to say to him (Jonah 1:2-3). But one cannot hide from God no matter where they run to ( Ps. 139:7-12). Jonah found that our when he took a boat ride thinking that it would take him away from God. While Jonah was on the boat, God caused a real bad storm on the seas. This storm was so bad, that the seamen were that the boat would break up and all the souls on board would did, so they started to cry to their different gods for help. But their gods didn't hear them. When they found Jonah in his bunk sleeping, they woke him up and told him to cry out to his God for help. I don't believe that Jonah did so, because the Bible doesn't say that he did. The seas continued to be bad. So the men cast lots to see who the gods where made at, for they believed that a storm like this had to be the punishment of an angry god. The lot fell on Jonah, so they woke him up and asked him who he was and what he had done to make his God mad. He told them the whole truth including the fact that he had disobeyed and ran from his God. They asked Jonah what they would have to do to appease God. Jonah told them to throw him over board and the storm would cease. At first the men did not throw Jonah over board. Maybe they were afraid that God would be angry at them if they did. Instead they tried to row to land, but it did not work. When they realized that they had no other choice, they threw Jonah over board, while asking God not to be angry at them for doing so. Then they made a sacrifice to God for they feared Jonah's God (Jonah 1:1-16).
God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah whole. Jonah was in the belly of that great fish for three days and three nights. I believe that God did this to give Jonah time to think about what He had asked him to do. You see, Jonah ran from God without hearing Him out. During that time, Jonah's faith grew. At the end of the three days and three nights, Jonah prayed a prayer of faith. God heard Jonah and had the great fish spit him out at just the right place to go to Nineveh (Jonah 2).
Once Jonah was on land, God again told Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach to the many souls there. This time, Jonah obeyed God and did as God told him to do. He preached a powerful sermon to the city telling them that if they did not repent and turn from their wicked ways that God was going to have the city overthrown in forty days. The people believed in Jonah's God and all of Ninevah held a fast and put on sackcloths. This was to show God that they were sorry and ask for forgiveness. God saw this and forgave them of their sin, saving the city (Jonah 3). So Jonah's obedience saved a very large city full of many souls.
After Jonah had preached to Ninevah, he went out and sat on the east side of the city to watch the destruction of it. But when God changed His mind and didn't destroy it, Jonah became angry. In His anger, he told God how he felt about the whole situation. God answered Jonah and gave him a lesson on taking pity on the souls of Ninevah (Jonah 4).
Sometimes, God's people are asked to do things that they are not comfortable with to help them grow in their faith. That is what God did with Jonah. God also does that with us.
Jonah was the son of Amitai. Jonah was called by God to go to Nineveh in Assyria, and preach to them. For faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. but how can you hear without a preacher (Rom. 10:17). But Jonah didn't want to go,so he ran from God, to keep from having to listen to what God had to say to him (Jonah 1:2-3). But one cannot hide from God no matter where they run to ( Ps. 139:7-12). Jonah found that our when he took a boat ride thinking that it would take him away from God. While Jonah was on the boat, God caused a real bad storm on the seas. This storm was so bad, that the seamen were that the boat would break up and all the souls on board would did, so they started to cry to their different gods for help. But their gods didn't hear them. When they found Jonah in his bunk sleeping, they woke him up and told him to cry out to his God for help. I don't believe that Jonah did so, because the Bible doesn't say that he did. The seas continued to be bad. So the men cast lots to see who the gods where made at, for they believed that a storm like this had to be the punishment of an angry god. The lot fell on Jonah, so they woke him up and asked him who he was and what he had done to make his God mad. He told them the whole truth including the fact that he had disobeyed and ran from his God. They asked Jonah what they would have to do to appease God. Jonah told them to throw him over board and the storm would cease. At first the men did not throw Jonah over board. Maybe they were afraid that God would be angry at them if they did. Instead they tried to row to land, but it did not work. When they realized that they had no other choice, they threw Jonah over board, while asking God not to be angry at them for doing so. Then they made a sacrifice to God for they feared Jonah's God (Jonah 1:1-16).
God prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah whole. Jonah was in the belly of that great fish for three days and three nights. I believe that God did this to give Jonah time to think about what He had asked him to do. You see, Jonah ran from God without hearing Him out. During that time, Jonah's faith grew. At the end of the three days and three nights, Jonah prayed a prayer of faith. God heard Jonah and had the great fish spit him out at just the right place to go to Nineveh (Jonah 2).
Once Jonah was on land, God again told Jonah to go to Ninevah to preach to the many souls there. This time, Jonah obeyed God and did as God told him to do. He preached a powerful sermon to the city telling them that if they did not repent and turn from their wicked ways that God was going to have the city overthrown in forty days. The people believed in Jonah's God and all of Ninevah held a fast and put on sackcloths. This was to show God that they were sorry and ask for forgiveness. God saw this and forgave them of their sin, saving the city (Jonah 3). So Jonah's obedience saved a very large city full of many souls.
After Jonah had preached to Ninevah, he went out and sat on the east side of the city to watch the destruction of it. But when God changed His mind and didn't destroy it, Jonah became angry. In His anger, he told God how he felt about the whole situation. God answered Jonah and gave him a lesson on taking pity on the souls of Ninevah (Jonah 4).
Sometimes, God's people are asked to do things that they are not comfortable with to help them grow in their faith. That is what God did with Jonah. God also does that with us.
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