• Title Page
• Pentateuch
• History
• Poetry
• Prophets
  • Lesson 23: Introduction to the Prophetic Scriptures
  • Lesson 24: Joel
  • Lesson 25: Jonah
  • Lesson 26: Amos
  • Lesson 27: Hosea
  • Lesson 28: Micah
  • Lesson 29: Isaiah
  • Lesson 30: Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Obadiah
  • Lesson 31: Jeremiah
  • Lesson 32: Ezekiel
• Post Captivity Prophets
• Gospels, Acts
• Pauline Epistles
• General Epistles

The Messianic Prophecies

In our study of the earlier historical books of the Bible, very particular attention was drawn to the prophecies of Christ contained in each one of them. This it is impossible to do with all the later books because of the multiplicity of such prophecies—some hundreds of them indeed. Only the principal ones, and those coming in the direct course of our synthetic outline can be noted. But one feature of them should be again mentioned, and that is, not only the way in which they increase in number, but develop in details.

The lines of the portrait are becoming more and more clearly defined with every touch of the divine Artist’s pencil. The seed of the woman became the seed of Abraham, and the line of Judah, in Genesis. Deuteronomy spoke of Him as a prophet like unto Moses; Samuel described Him as a King sitting on the throne of His father David. And now Isaiah pictures Him in so many ways! He gives His virgin birth, His two-fold nature, His many names, human and divine, His mission to Gentiles as well as Jews, His humiliation and His glory. It is hoped that the individual student, and especially the teacher of classes will fix earnest attention on this matter as so essential to the knowledge of the Savior’s person and work, an acquaintance with the teachings of the New Testament to follow, and as an armory from which to draw ammunition for the defense of the truth of the Bible and Christianity. If these things were spoken before they came to pass they must be divine in their origin. If they meet and find fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth and in Him only, He must be the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world.

Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Obadiah

The Prophecy of Nahum

I have done little original work on the four Minor Prophets and acknowledge my indebtedness to The Bible Handbook by Dr. Angus.

Isaiah concludes his work at about the end of Hezekiah’s reign, which synchronizes with the captivity of the ten tribes of Israel by the Assyrians. At this period of perplexity, to quote Dr. Angus, “When the overthrow of Samaria (the capital of Israel) must have suggested to Judah many fears for her own safety,