Timeline of some early prophets

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Feb 1, 2015 at 11:15

Hi, Tovey

Good scriptures there. Then you said,

Isaiah reveals Israel's rebirth in verse 8 and prefaces the rebuilding the of the third Temple with the LORD's declaration of covenant blessings at the point of His return, following the purge of the Temple Mount in preparation of His entrance to bless, once again, the people called by HaShem.

I'm inclined to agree with you, that the Temple won't be rebuilt until Messiah's return. I see no reason to forbid pious Jews from rebuilding it right now, if they have a heart to do so. That's what motivated David to build (though God didn't allow the actual assembly to proceed until after David died), and what motivated Haggai to encourage the Jews to finish the work on the Second Temple.

The temple plan shows us the way, spiritually, to approach God; and the continual shedding of blood there shows us the earnest, deadly seriousness that our relationship with God involves. Today, there are activists who would deny God His proper worship in order to satisfy the vain sensitivities of vegetarians. We still slaughter animals on an industrial scale; we're just squeamish about honoring God in the process. As I said, it would be a good thing, it seems to me, to rebuild the Temple right now; but I don't see that happening, until the Mount has been prepared and ritually cleansed. Even then, with modern labor laws, bureaucracy and cost over-runs, I expect this temple to take 40 years to build, just like the last one (Cathedrals take 100 years to build nowadays, just as in the Middle Ages). I don't want to wait that long, to see Messiah's return.

Both the prophets you cite were pre-exilic. Isaiah 66 seems, at first glance, to be an end-times prophecy; but the passage in Yoel may be a foretelling of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Yoel is difficult to date, because, unlike Isaiah, he doesn't give us the necessary information. Those very allusions to the Temple that you show, though, and to the priestly office, seem to place him in the First Temple period. Some have placed him in the Second Temple period, but I doubt this. Here's a timeline that seems reliable:

• A remarkable eclipse of the sun was noted in the Assyrian Chronological Canon. The date proved correct. (763 B.C.)
• Pekahiah became the king of Israel. He reigned two years. (761 B.C.)
• Isaiah became a prophet in Israel. The book of Isaiah started. Isaiah prophesied for about 62 years. (760 B.C.)
• Pekah became the king of Israel. He reigned 20 years. (759 B.C.)
• Joel prophesied. The book of Joel was written. (758 B.C.)
• Rome was founded by Romulus. He ruled 38 years. (April 21, 753 B.C.)
• Jotham became the king of Judah. He ruled for 16 years and "did right." (758 B.C.)
• Tiglathpileser II became the king of Assyria. He conquered Babylon. (745 B.C.)
• Ahaz became the king of Judah. He ruled for 16 years and "did not right." (742 B.C.)
• Anarchy reigned in Israel. (739 B.C.)
• Babylon and Assyria became one nation under Assyria. Shalmaneser IV was king. (731 B.C.)
• Hoshea became the king of Israel. (730 B.C.)
• Hezekiah became the king of Judah. He reigned 23 years and was noted as "good." Shalmaneaser invaded Israel. Israel, under King Hoshea, became a tributary to Assyria. (728 B.C.)
• Hosea prophesied. He was called to reprove Israel for their sins and idolatry and warn Judah. Hosea prophesied for 60 years. Hoshea revolted against Assyrian domination. (725 B.C.)
• Assrya invaded Israel. (724 B.C.)

-- http://registrypartners.net/ChristianResourceLibrary/Pages/Library/Bible%20Study/TimeLines/TimeLines_900%20BC%20-%200%20AD.htm

You cited the following:

32; And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.

That doesn't sound like Messiah's triumphal return, because it talks about "those who escape". That sounds more like the destruction of the First Temple in 570 BC.

Also, the passage talks about those "who call on the name of the LORD." There's a parallel situation in Genesis:

Genesis 4:
[26] And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Adam had a ready-made relationship with God, until he and Eve blew it through their sin. In the days of Seth, men began to "call upon the name of the LORD", to establish a fleeting contact with the Almighty, from their various places of exile. After Messiah's return, I don't expect things to be that way. I don't know exactly what to expect. I call on Hashem right now, and He hears me.

Another point worth noting: The City of Rome hadn't even been founded yet in the days of Isaiah and Joel. The latter's geography agrees with this: He doesn't mention Rome; but his world extends to Tarshish (Tartesus), a Carthaginian colony in Spain, to Pul (undefined) and Lud (Lydia, in W. Turkey), to Tubal & Javan (also in Turkey), lands where the Apostle Paul would spend much of his ministry, Thus, the saying,

"And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem"

may be a foretelling of the time after the Second Temple was destroyed, and the Jews scattered for some 1900 years -- to be brought back in ships and aircraft captained by gentiles. As I said in other posts, Isaiah sometimes prophesied of the latter days; he just didn't provide many details, because some (such as the Roman Empire) did not exist yet.

Thanks for sharing. God bless & keep you.

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