In this article of Tu Biblia Online you will discover who were the major prophets of the Bible along with all their work. Would you like to meet them and learn how they laid the foundations of our faith? Then read on!
Who were the major prophets
Before the arrival of Jesus Christ to the world, there were some people who had the task of spreading the message of God in their environment. spread the message of God in their environment and to warn the people if they deviated from the path of truth.
But what is the real meaning of a prophet?
What is a prophet?
A prophet is a person who can predict the future based on visions and revelations. visions and revelations of the Lord. In Christianity, two groups are distinguished within the category of prophets: major prophets and minor prophets.
This classification is according to the length of the work written by each one, leaving as major prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Danielauthors of the books of the Old Testament that bear their names and of some other volumes that we also find in the Bible.
Do you want to know more about the mission, legacy and work of these four important biblical characters? Today in Tu Biblia Online we will give you all the information you need to know about them and their books.
Let’s get started!
Summary of the prophet Isaiah
Isaiah is one of the most important prophets for Christianity, so much so that during some moments in history, his work was considered to be “the fifth gospel”.the fifth gospel“.
This prophet lived during the 8th century B.C. in the kingdom of Judah, i.e. the territory surrounding the holy city of Jerusalem. holy city of Jerusalem. At that time, the people of Israel had strayed from the message of the sacred texts of Moses, living constantly in sin and worshipping multiple gods at once according to their most selfish desires.
Most prophets have as their mission to reverse this situation and to warn their fellow citizens, warn their fellow citizens that trouble was coming if things were not changed. Thus, this is also the theme of Isaiah’s work, all of which is contained in the Book of Isaiah.
In addition, Isaiah also dedicated much of his time to prophesying the coming of the Messiah, giving very concrete data that were fulfilled centuries later with the coming of Jesus into the world. Of all the prophets, Isaiah is the one that gives a closer vision of God of God to Christianity today.
Thus, he is mentioned on numerous occasions in the Gospels, being the most influential prophet in the world. the most influential prophet in later Christian texts. An example is found in this verse from the Gospel of Matthew:
“All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 23 “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).”(Matthew 1:22-23)
Book of the prophet Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is found in the Old Testament of the Bible along with the other prophetic books, the wisdom books and the 5 books of Moses.
The central theme of the book is the God’s punishment towards the people of Israel after seeing their covenant sealed in ancient times with Abraham betrayed. This punishment is due to the wars and invasions of neighboring kingdoms, such as Egypt and Assyria.
The idea is that, after these punishments, the true faithful to God will be the ones who will build the religion of the future, away from sin and evil. It is about a rebirth of the people that will make them become the people blessed by God.
Isaiah also strongly emphasizes that the power of God is above everything human, be it interpersonal relationships or political alliances. Thus, the people of Israel will not find their salvation by trying to make peace with their enemies, but by reconciling with the Lord.
On the other hand, as we have already said, the Book of Isaiah repeatedly stresses that true peace and righteousness will come after the coming of the Messiah. In Tu biblia Online we have already talked about Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah, as in the case of Isaiah 9:6:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Summary of the prophet Jeremiah
Years after Isaiah’s ministry, Jeremiah was born, who performed his duties as a prophet during the 6th century BC.
At that time, the people of Israel still had the same problems as before and had not learned their lesson. In this case, Jeremiah prophesied the Israel’s defeat the Babylonians coming from the north and also the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
All these horrible prophecies turned against him the kings and rulers of the region who wanted nothing to do with what the prophet was saying. The story of Jeremiah is a tale of overcoming fears and struggle against adversity, since in his ministry everything went against him, except God’s protection.
The Lord revealed Himself to him on different occasions, giving him lessons about his work as a prophet, which Jeremiah Jeremiah took with humility. All this led him to write two great works collected in the Bible such as the Book of Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations, among other minor books, whose authorship is not completely confirmed.
Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
His best known work is the Book of Jeremiah, located just after the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.
The main theme of this volume is the urgency of the renewal of the renewal of the covenant between God and the people of Israel, who are doomed to punishment after their fatal behavior of the time.
One thing that distinguishes the Book of Jeremiah from other prophetic books is that Jeremiah includes his thoughts and emotions in his texts. thoughts and emotionsmaking it a very special and human book.
This prophet finds himself in a corrupt world to which he must deliver a message of punishment from God. The difficulty of the mission causes him to hesitate on several occasions, although he always manages to regaining strength in prayer.
His reflections can help all of us in difficult times and we recommend that you read them from time to time. In Tu Biblia Online we have some articles talking about the Book of Jeremiah, like this one by Jeremiah 1.
Book of Lamentations
This book of the prophet Jeremiah consists of 5 poems or lamentations and is situated just after the Book of Jeremiah, both in the Old Testament and chronologically speaking.
Jeremiah wrote it after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple that he himself had prophesied. They are texts of repentance for the sins committed and that today the Jews use in some ceremonies.
Summary of the prophet Ezekiel
Ezekiel was contemporary with the prophet Jeremiah, although his ministry began after the fall of Israel into the hands of the Babylonians.
Unlike many other prophets, Ezekiel is a prophet closely related to images. related to the images for two reasons. The first is that in his texts he uses a large number of visual metaphors that manage to reach the reader’s mind very easily. The second is the great number of visions that this prophet had and that made him what he was.
These characteristics were key during Ezekiel’s ministry, a time in which the morale of the population was very low after their defeat and the loss of something as important as the first temple in Jerusalem. after their defeat and after the loss of something as important as the first temple in Jerusalem.
This is why Ezekiel’s mission was to restore hope to his people. to restore hope to his peopleencouraging them to correct their behavior and follow God’s path. With his work, the people of Israel were to build a new and true faith, which worshipped the one God and lived according to his will.
Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
The Book of Ezekiel is the work that summarizes the life and visions of the prophet, and was written by him.
This book can be divided into three parts with an established plot order. In the first part, Ezequiel narrates the reasons for the fall of JerusalemThe arguments of the divine punishment already used by Isaiah and Jeremiah.
After this introduction, Ezekiel sets out to restore the morale of the faithful with prophecies against the invading nations and enemies of his people. Although Jerusalem had to fall in order to rebuild the Jewish faith, if the believers faithfully followed God, they could regain their territoryThey could regain their territory by driving back the conquerors.
To conclude the book, Ezekiel gives a message of hope to his people in which he speaks of the coming of the Messiah. the coming of the Messiah to save them in the future. In addition, he also has visions very similar to those of Revelation; prophesying a day when the righteous will be saved and the wicked will be condemned, as in Ezekiel 37.
Summary of the prophet Daniel
The prophet Daniel is the least known of the four major prophets, although his work is no less important.
The only information about this prophet can be found in his work collected in the Book of Daniel. In this one, it is identified as a nobleman of the kingdom of Judah who went into exile in Babylon. It is not known exactly in what historical period his life took place, although some point out that Ezekiel 14:14 mentions the existence of this character:
“If these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job, were in the midst of it, they alone would deliver their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 14:14).
So, if the Daniel who appears in this text is the same as the prophet, we can only say that he was before Ezekielalthough we do not know how much.
For Christians, the Book of Daniel was written by Daniel himself, so it is an autobiographical text. autobiographical text and also serves to teach and make people aware of God’s message.
Book of the Prophet Daniel
The Book of Daniel is found after the Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament of the Bible.
As we have told you, it narrates the life and prophecies of its author, who lived in the court of Babylon after being welcomed by the king of that country. It is a text that aims to to instill hope to the people of Israel in the most oppressive periods, although it cannot be placed in any specific time.
Among these messages of hope, Daniel points out that one day there will be a judgment in which the righteous will prevail. the righteous will prevail on sinners, who will perish under the power of God. Daniel also prophesied the coming of the Messiah, as we see in Daniel 7:13-14.
“I was looking in the night vision, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, who came even to the Ancient of days, and they drew him near before him.
And dominion and glory and kingdom was given him, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
This prophecy is mentioned later in the Gospel of Matthewspecifically in Matthew 24:30. Matthew is also in charge of confirming Daniel’s status as a prophet, as we can see in Matthew 24:15.
“When ye therefore shall see in the holy place the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet (whoso readeth, let him understand),” (Matthew 24:15).
Now you know the life and work of the 4 major prophets of the Old Testament of the Bible. We hope that we have clarified all your doubts about them and that you have learned many new things.
So, we say goodbye to this article inviting you to continue reading all the reflections and biblical commentaries that you will find on our website, written especially for you. See you in the next article!