OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE COMING OF THE CHRIST

THE PROPHECY OF HOSEA

The days of being given attention must come; the days of the due payment must come. The nations will know it. The prophet will be foolish, the man of inspired expression will be maddened on account of the abundance of your error, even animosity being abundant. As regards a prophet, there is the trap of the bird catcher in all his ways; there is animosity in the house of his God. They have gone deep in bringing ruin. He will remember their error; he will give attention to their sins.                     

Men became satisfied and their heart began to be exalted. That is why they forgot me. And I shall encounter them like a bear that has lost its cubs, and I shall rip open the enclosure of their heart. And I shall devour them like a lion. I will tear them to pieces. It will certainly bring you to ruin, because it was against me, against your helper.         

THE PROPHECY OF AMOS

Woe to those who are craving the day of God! What, then, will the day of God mean to you people? It will be darkness, and no light, just as when a man flees because of a lion, and a bear actualy meets him; and as when he went into the house and supported his hand against a wall, and the serpent bit him. Will not the day of God be darkness not light; and will it not have gloom, and not brightness? I have hated, I have rejected your festivals, and I shall not enjoy the smell of your solemn assemblies, even in your gift offerings I shall find no pleasure. Remove from me the turmoil of your songs; and the melodious sound of your stringed instruments may I not hear. And let justice roll forth just like waters, and righteousness like a constantly flowing torrent. And you will certainly carry your images, the star of your God, whom you made for yourselves. And I will cause you to go into exile," God has said.                                

Woe to those who are at ease and to those trusting in the mountains! They are the distinguished ones of the chief part of the nations. Are you putting out of your mind the calamitous day, and do you bring near the dwelling of violence? You men who are lying down on couches of ivory and sprawling on their divans.                                    

Therefore now they will go into exile at the head of those going into exile, and the revelry of sprawling ones must depart. For here is God  ommanding, and he will certainly strike down the great house into rubble and the small house into debris. For into a poisonous plant you people have turned justice, and the fruitage of righteousness into wormwood, you who are rejoicing in a thing that is not; who are saying:"Have we not in our strength taken horns to ourselves?"

Look! I am raising up against you a nation and they must oppress you people. The Sovereign Lord God is calling for a contention by means of fire; and it will go eating up the vast watery deep and it will eat up the tract of land. I shall no more do any further excusing of it. And the high places will certainly be laid desolate, and the sanctuaries themselves will be devastated; and I will rise up against the nations with a sword.         

THE PROPHECY OF  MICAH

Hear, O you peoples, all of you; pay attention, O earth and what fills you, and let the Sovereign Lord God serve against you as a witness God from his holy temple. For look God is going forth from his place, and he will certainly come down and tread upon the earths high places. And the mountains must melt under him, and the low plains themselves will be split apart, like wax because of the fire, like waters being poured down a steep place.                                                                     

It is because of the revolt that there is all this. And what are the high places? I shall certainly make the nations a heap of ruins of the field, the planting places of a vineyard; and I will pour down into the valley her stones, and her foundations I shall lay bare. The dispossessor I shall yet bring to you, the glory of the nations will come.  The one making a breakthrough will certainly come up before them: they will actualy break through. And they will pass through a gate, and they will go out by it. And their king will pass through before them, with God at the head of them.  I myself have become full of power, with the spirt of God, and of justice and mightiness, in order to tell of their revolt.                  

And it must occur in the final part of the days that the mountain of the house of God will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, and it will certainly be lifted up above the hills; and to it peoples must stream. and many nations will certainly go and say: "Come, you people, and let us go up to the mountain of God; and he will instruct us about his ways, and we will walk in his paths.  For out of Zion Law will go forth. And he will certainly render judgment among many peoples, and set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. And they will have to beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning shears. They will not lift up sword, nation against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.                                                               

In that day, is the utterance of God, "I will gather her that was limping; and her that was dispersed I will collect together, even her who I have treated badly. And I shall certainly make her that was limping a remnant, and her that was moved far off a mighty nation; and God will actually rule as king over them, from now on and until time indefinite.  And you will actualy devote to God their unjust profit, and their resorces to the true Lord of the whole earth.      

From you there will come out to me the one who is to become ruler of the entire earth, whose origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite.  Therefore he will give them up until the time that she who is giving birth actually gives birth.  And he will certainly stand and do the shepherding, in the strength of God, in the superiority of the name of God. And they will certainly keep dwelling, for now he will be great as far as the ends of the earth. And this one must become peace, when he comes into our land and when he treads upon our dwelling towers. And he will certainly bring deliverance when he comes into our land and when he treads upon our territory. Your hand will be high above your adversaries, and all enemies of yours will be cut off."

And I will cut off sorceries out of your hand, and no praticers of magic will you continue to have. And he will cut off your graven images and your pillars from the midst of you, and you will no more bow down to the work of your hands. And in anger and in rage I will execute vengeance upon the nations that have not obeyed.                                          

THE PROPHECY OF HABAKKUK

See, you people, among the nations, and look on, and stare in amazement at one another. Be amazed; for there is an activity that one is carrying on in your days, which you people will not believe although it is related.  For the vision is for the appointed time, and it keeps panting on to the end, and it will not tell a lie; for it will without fail come true. It will not be too late.

 

THE PROPHECY OF HAGGAI

Say to the governors, I am rocking the heavens and the earth. And I shall certainly overthrow the throne of kingdoms and annihilate the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and they will certainly come down, each one by the sword of his brother.

For my own sake I shall act, for how could One let Oneself be profaned? And to no one else shall I give my own glory. I am the same One. I am the first. More over I am the last. Moreover, my own hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my own right hand extended out of the heavens. I am calling to them, that they may keep standing together.