ALMOST every newspaper in Britain runs a horoscope. The information about the stars is not put there to fill space. Clearly the editors believe it is essential if they are to promote sales. That means that there are a lot of people interested in the future - their future at least.

Of the several people I work with, all know their birth sign. Most of them look at what the stars say. Some check it out daily, some less frequently.

Some take it very seriously. Others treat it as a bit of fun. They know that consulting a different paper or journal would result in a different reading of the future. Most keep half an eye open for the forecast coming true, however.

And a lot of it never does.

The nation of Israel were forbidden to dabble in fortune telling or the occult. Witches, wizards and those who claimed to read the future were not allowed to live under God's law.

This was because no-one really knows the future but God. In our hearts most of us recognise this. Even the weather forecasters don't always get it right from day to day. But human nature likes to pretend. Some feel more secure in thinking they know what tomorrow holds. Some are made very frightened by the prospect of things that may never happen at all.

Prophets From God
The prophets of our Old Testament were not like fortune tellers. They were men sent from God. They were compelled by His power to present His message. Where that message concerned the future, it was part of God's purpose, certain of fulfilment.

God alone knows the future. In fact, He lives in the past, the present and the future. Our finite minds cannot understand His eternity. He makes history happen. If we had a time machine and could be transported into the future, God would be there too. Whatever point in time we live or consider, He is there.

The work of the prophets was to encourage the people to worship God and keep His law. They did not only speak of the future. They warned of God's judgments if the people were wicked. They promised prosperity if the nation turned to Him in obedience. In this way the future became part of their message. It was dark with punishment or bright with blessings.
The line of prophets goes back in Jewish history further than the kings. Prophets were appointed by God. Kings were requested by the people. The prophets were ordinary men from different walks of life. Prophesying was not always their main occupation. God moved them to speak His word at times. At others, they appear to have lived a normal life.

Because the message is God's, however, it is timeless. It is not restricted to those who first heard it spoken. Its truth is capable of more than one fulfilment. That means that it may come true again and again in different circumstances. It may therefore be relevant to today. In fact, there is good reason to believe that some of these Scriptures are being fulfilled now. Some even apply to tomorrow.

There were sometimes false prophets as well as true ones. God gave certain tests to help distinguish them. Test one was whether or not a prophecy came true. If it did not, then no notice was to be taken of that prophet. God had not sent him.

It did not always mean that a prophet was from God because he was right about something. If a prophecy did come true a second test came into operation. The second test was whether or not his message coincided with the rest of God's word. If it did not his message was false. Only if what he said agreed with the laws God had previously given was he to be obeyed.

Even today we should judge the things we hear by the Bible. The Bible is the yardstick. Unless a teaching agrees with the word of God, it must be rejected.

Moses was a true prophet. So was Samuel. Elijah and his successor Elisha are well known too. The summary below lists only the prophetic books of our Old Testament.

Prophets Major
Isaiah seems to have had ready access to the royal court. He prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah. His prophecies contain a lot of detail about the Messiah and his kingdom. For example, chapter seven contains a famous passage about the virgin birth. Chapter eleven presents a picture of the peace of the kingdom of God. Chapter 53 speaks of the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah came later in the history of Judah. He began his work near the end of the kingdom. He warned of its decline and of the captivity. Consequently he has a reputation for woe. He was himself a man of faith and hope despite all he suffered. He spoke also of the restoration of the Jews. We can see the accuracy with which his inspired prophecies were fulfilled.

Seeing the fall of Jerusalem was heartbreaking. Jeremiah wrote his lament poetically. He writes as though he is the city now ruined and destroyed. These are the Lamentations of Jeremiah, inspired by God.
Ezekiel was from a priestly family. He was one of those taken captive. He lived and preached among the Jews who had been carried off in an early assault on Jerusalem. He spoke of current events and of things far future. He foretold the destruction of the important city of Tyre. He also prophesied the re-gathering of the Jews after they had been scattered in all countries. The re-establishment of the State of Israel in this century is a fulfilment of God's word through Ezekiel.

He spoke of an alliance between Persia, Ethiopia and Libya and a mighty northern power. He prophesied an invasion of Israel by these forces which has not yet taken place. He said that the invading forces would eventually be beaten. By this God's power would be known to all. He related a vision of a temple not yet built and the future importance of Jerusalem. This is consistent with what God promised David.

Daniel also lived in exile, but rose to a position of importance. Part of his prophecy has to do with world empires and events affecting the land of Israel. Chapter two describes a metallic image where each metal represents a world power. It depicts the succession of these powers and has since happened in history. We now live in the period related to the feet and toes of the image. No single power has world domination and there is no cohesion among the nations.

The end of the prophecy is of a stone smashing the whole image to pieces and replacing it. This stone, the prophet says, stands for the kingdom of God which is to replace present systems of government. It will not itself be destroyed or replaced.

The way in which these claims relate to our own day cannot be ignored. Many prefer to doubt or dispute them, but they deserve consideration at least.

Prophets Minor
Twelve "minor" prophets make up the rest of the Old Testament. This does not mean that they are less important than other books. The term is given simply because these prophecies are all shorter than the four already mentioned. Briefly, these are set out below.

Hosea was sent to the kingdom of Israel in the north. He was to condemn their wickedness before it became beyond remedy. Hosea's wife was unfaithful to him. Through his attempts to win her back, he understood how Israel had become unfaithful to God. He showed the nation how much God loved and wanted them back.

Joel's prophecy was based on a plague of locusts. He likens them to an army. He describes God's future judgments on the nation of Israel. He spoke of a final conflict, yet to come, involving all nations.

Amos came from Judah. He prophesied of God's judgments on Israel and other nations around. He showed that the judgments were not just punishment. They were sent to help Israel see the need to turn back to God.

Obadiah's short prophecy was directed against Edom. Edom was the nation descended from Esau, Jacob's brother. The prophecy was because of Edom's cruelty towards Israel. The same hatred exists in the Middle East today between the same "brother" nations, between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

Jonah was sent to the Assyrian capital, Nineveh. At first he refused to go. He would have drowned if God had not saved him by the "whale". After that, he repented and obeyed God. The Ninevites repented too. Later, however, they returned to their wickedness. God used them to punish Israel, but afterwards the Assyrians were themselves destroyed.
Micah lived at about the same time as Isaiah. He preached to the people of Judah. During his life the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed. He presented a message of hope, therefore, to king Hezekiah in the south. If his kingdom would obey God, they would far better than Israel. Micah is the prophet who named Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah.
Like Jonah, Nahum prophesied against Nineveh. His prophecy was probably later than Jonah. He foretold the nation's destruction at the hands of Babylon.

The prophet Habakkuk was sent to Judah about 100 years after Isaiah and Micah. He warned that God would punish their sin as He had punished Israel. God showed him how men of faith could be saved. Habakkuk gladly believed and accepted this.

Zephaniah, like Habakkuk, prophesied near the end of the kingdom of Judah. His name means "watchman". He spoke of the judgments that God told him were coming.

Haggai was a prophet who lived after Judah's captivity. He returned from Babylon and helped to rebuild Jerusalem. People had stopped building the temple because of difficulties. They were busy with their own lives and houses. Haggai warned them of the need to put God first.

Zechariah also belongs to this period. He is mentioned with Haggai in the book of Nehemiah. His visions encouraged the people in their work. He spoke of a glorious future for the whole nation of Israel in the purpose of God.

Later still, Malachi spoke to those who had returned to the land. He warned them about relapsing into evil ways. He showed the importance of worshipping God in the right way.

The period of history covered by the kingdoms of Israel and Judah totals 5-600 years. The captivity of Judah lasted 70 years. Malachi prophesied a little less than 400 years before the birth of Jesus. 