Christ in All the Scriptures by A.M. Hodgkin
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Christ in the Prophets
“The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”—Revelation 19:10.
General View of Prophecy
Before we consider the prophetical books one by one it may be well to take a general view of prophecy as a whole.
Definition of Prophecy. The Bible itself furnishes us with an authoritative definition of the office and function of the prophet. “The Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.” “And thou shalt put words in his mouth” (Exodus 7:1; 4:15). No statement could be clearer than this. By Divine appointment Moses was to be in the place of God to Pharaoh, and Aaron was to act as the prophet of Moses, receiving from him the message, and delivering it to the king (Moorehead).
Importance of Prophecy. As Prophecy holds so important a place and occupies so large a part of God’s revealed will, about a third of the whole Bible, how important it is that we should give it our earnest attention, and seek by the help of the Holy Spirit to understand its meaning. “Hebrew prophecy will be acknowledged by most to be a perfectly unique phenomenon in the history of religions” (Dr. Orr).
Prophecy is God’s revelation of His plans to His Children. It was given, not for a merely temporary use, but for all ages and for all people. Paul says concerning it, “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning; that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope” (Romans 15:4). Prophecy can only come from God, for He alone knows the end from the beginning. Christ said to His disciples, “I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15). Abraham was called the “friend of God;” and when God was about to destroy Sodom, He said, “Shall I hide from
