Prophets/non-writing

The Non writing Prophets of the Old Testament

Mentioned Prophets

Named and Unnamed prophets who did not write or who did not have their writings passed down

A Prophet; Judges 6:7-10

And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, 8 That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; 10 And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

Samuel 1Sam 3:19

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

The company of the prophets

1Sam 9:9; 10:5; 10:10-12; 19:20, 24;

Gad to David; 1Sam 22:5;

And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

2Sam 24:11-

For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

1Sam 28:6, 15 Saul was not answered by God in any way including by prophets

Nathan to David

2Sam 7:2-4, 17; 1Chr 17:1; The house of God

2Sam 12:1-15 Davids sin revealed (Psalm 51)

2Sam 12:25; placed Solomon on the throne

1Ki 1:8-45

Book of Nathan and Gad; no longer extant; 1Chr 29:29

See also 2Chr 9:29

2Chr 29:25; influence of Gad, Nathan continued long

Shemaiah to Rehoboam

2Chr 12:5

Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. 6 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous. 7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.

2Chr 12:15

Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies?

Iddo 2Chr 9:29; 12:15 (above); 13:22

Ahijah to Jeroboam 1Ki 11:29;

And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: 30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:

12:15; 14:2-6, 18; Jeroboam sent for him; 1Ki 15:29 (fulfilled)

Man of God to Jeroboam 1Ki 13:1

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee….

Tale of a false prophet; further detail in 

Azariah to Asa 2Chr 15:1

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. 4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. 5 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. 6 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity. 7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.

Oded to Asa; 2Chr 15:8

Hanani the seer to Asa; Asa put him in prison

2Chr 16:7 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thine hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. 10 Then Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house; for he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people the same time.

Elijah to Ahab 1Ki 17-19; 21:17

1Ki 18:4, 13 Obadiah shelters prophets from Jezebel

1 Ki 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (repeats in verse 14!)

A Prophet to Ahab

1Ki 20:13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. 14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.

22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

A Man of the sons of the prophets to Ahab

1Ki 20:35-43

And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

39 …he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. 40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. 41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. 42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people. 43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Micaiah To Ahab and Jehoshaphat 1Ki 22; 2Chr 18

Sons of Prophets to Elisha; 2Ki 2:3, 5, 7, 15

Elisha to Ahaziah and Jehoram to Joash 1Ki 19:11; 2Ki 3:11; 4:1-8:15; 2Ki 13:14-19

Jehu son on Hanani to Baasha 1Ki 16:1-7

Then the word of the Lord came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; 3 Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.

And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the Lord against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.

***Jehu unique in that he prophesied to Baasha early and to Jehoshaphat later

Jehu to Jehoshaphat; 2Chr 19:2;

And Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned to his house in peace to Jerusalem. 2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. 3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

2Chr 20:34

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel.

Jahazial to Jehoshaphat; 2Chr 20:14

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; 15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

Jehoshaphat

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

2Ki 17:13

Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them. 16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.

Elijah to Jehoram

2Chr 21:12 And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 But hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab, and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: 14 Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and thy wives, and all thy goods: 15 And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.

Isaiah 

2Ki 19:2; 20:1, 11, 14; 2Chr 26:22; 32:20, 32

A Man of God to Amaziah

2Chr 25:7; But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim. 8 But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. 9 And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this. 10 Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger.

A Prophet to Amaziah

2Chr 25:15 Wherefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people, which could not deliver their own people out of thine hand? 16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

Huldah to Josiah

2 Ki 22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.

15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me, 16 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: 17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. 18 But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; 19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. 20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

Also 2Chr 34:22-28

A Prophet to Pekah son of Remeliah

2Chr 28:9 But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them,

The day of the Lord (CA)

It is clear from the scripture that the day of the Lord is a day of darkness and judgment. It is associated with woe, howling, vengeance, destruction and especially darkness.
This is a day when sinners will be destroyed and one which will bring the proud low.
It is the end

Isa 2:12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty,
and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low
Isa 13:6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand;
it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,
cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,
to lay the land desolate:
and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it
Isa 34:8 For it is the day of the Lord 's vengeance,
and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion
Jer 46:10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries:
and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood:
for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice
in the north country by the river Euphrates (Zeph 1:7 calls it a sacrifice as well)
Ezek 30:2-3 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen
Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand,
and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come
Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain:
let all the inhabitants of the land tremble:
for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
 A day of darkness and of gloominess,
a day of clouds and of thick darkness,
as the morning spread upon the mountains
Joel 2:11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army:
for his camp is very great:
for he is strong that executeth his word:
for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible;
and who can abide it
Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come (Quoted Acts 2:20)
Joel 3:14
Amos 5:18-20 Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord!
to what end is it for you?
the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
 As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him;
or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
 Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light?
even very dark, and no brightness in it
Obad 1:15
Zeph 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God:
for the day of the Lord is at hand:
for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice,
he hath bid his guests
(Zeph 1:14, 18, 2:2, 3; Zech 14:1)
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord
1Thess 5:2 and 2Pet 3:10 the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night

Clearly the day of the Lord is a day to be missed; The reason that that day will not overtake the redeemed as a thief in the night is that we are not appointed to wrath, but to salvation.

The earth is the Lord's

Ex 9:29 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's.

The earth, and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. Moses lets Pharaoh know that the earth is controlled by the Lord because it belongs to him. Moses was given authority to command the weather! He could change the climate!

Dt 10:12-14
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? 14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.

Psa 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods.

It is God who created the heavens and the earth; Gen 1:1; Psa 104. And as these three passages affirm; it all belongs to him. Paul refers to these scriptures when talking about receiving food, whatever men may do to call it there own or to dedicate it to idols, it does not change the ultimate owner, The Almighty God.

1 Cor 10:26
26 For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof.

For these reasons we do not fear the natural variability of climate change, nor the ultimate of the earth;

2 Pet 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

The Lord knows the end and the judgment which he has reserved, and while we should be good stewards of what we have and the many environmental causes deserve attention, fear of the end, of death by climate is not expected :)

In the Morning...

Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,
and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning,
and thy faithfulness every night,

Psalm 143:8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust:
cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Lam 3:21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
22 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Psalm 50:23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me:
and to him that ordereth his conversation aright
will I shew the salvation of God.

In the morning is one of the times we are called to come to God. In the morning the lovingkindness of the Lord is declared, his compassions (mercies) are new every morning. It has often been said that every day springs new from the earth. It is a time to order your manner of living, your conversation. Order it to praise and thanksgiving. Declare the lovingkindness of the Lord for mercy is plenteous with him.

When you arise from your bed, refrain from complaint, refrain from words of bitterness. The ways of the Spirit are not the ways of men. Stand and declare the mercy of God, know his ways of love and tender care, rehearse the word of the Lord and see his salvation. When I call unto the Lord, when I see him for who he is, a merciful, loving and faithful Father, and so much more, my words will be ordered aright before him.

This is a great way to start your day!

The Word of the Lord

Psalm 119:9-16
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee:
O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart,
that I might not sin against thee.
Blessed art thou, O Lord:
teach me thy statutes.
With my lips have I declared
all the judgments of thy mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies,
as much as in all riches.
I will meditate in thy precepts,
and have respect unto thy ways.
I will delight myself in thy statutes:
I will not forget thy word.

The word of the Lord is truth; Jn 17:17. It is a light for my path, Ps 119:105. It is righteous and true and by it all things were made, Psalm 33:4-6.  It is in the mouth of his prophets, (first verse of most books).
It is the word which we preach;
1 Pet 1:25
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

The word of the Lord manifests itself as the law of the Lord and many similar things are said of it. Contained in his word are his commandments, they have not changed.
Jesus said: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Jn 15:10-11
This echoes the Father in Ex 20:6; Lev 26:3; Dt 5:10, 29; 1 Kings 3:14.

We have been given the Word of the Lord as a written testament as well as a sacrifice for all men, for Jesus was the Word, he was in the beginning and every things was made by him, (Jn 1:1;  Jn 1:1) this word of salvation is sent to give life, to place the written word not only in front of our eyes, but in our hearts.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest." Heb 8:10-11

Psalm 1:1
Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Be blessed and keep his commandments!
Jn 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Open the eyes!

...the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Acts 26:17b-18

This is Jesus' declaration to Paul of what he was called to do. He was sent to the Gentiles with specific tasks:

To open their eyes...
Eph 3:8-9
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

To turn them from darkness to light...
1 Pet 2:8
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

And from the power of Satan to God...
1 Jn 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Col 1:13
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

That they may receive forgiveness of sins...
Col 1:14
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Eph 1:7
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

And inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Jesus...
Acts 20:32
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Eph 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Acts 26:22-23
Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

Chronology Part II the 70 weeks in Daniel

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" Daniel 9:25-27

This passage is also mentioned by Jesus in Mark 13:14 "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee..." thus marking this as a key passage in our understanding of the end times. We are not concerned with the final week here, its time is to be yet fulfilled, but with the first 7 and 62 weeks which have historically happened.

The beginning of this time is the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, fulfilled in Cyrus' command after he became ruler of Babylon. This year we showed in part I is 539BC.
"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah" Ezra 1:1-2

What follows has been confused in many ways, trying to fit each piece of Persian/Median history, statements from Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah as well as the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, together has left some wondering how these disparate witnesses can be reconciled. Some confusion occurs because of the kingly names being reused, particularly Darius and Artaxerxes.

We will begin with the kings of the Achaemenid line in Persia: These dates are generally accepted throughout the academic community, and unlike many Egyptian dates are felt to be certain.

Cyrus 559-530 BC; Contemporary with Darius the Mede, Dan 5:30; Dan 9; Dan 10:1at this time
Cambyses 530-522 BC
Darius I 522-486 BC
Xerxes 486-465 BC (Ahasuerus)
Artaxerxes 465-424 BC
Darius II 424-405 BC
Artaxerxes II 404-358 BC
Artaxerxes III 358-338 BC
Arses 338-336 BC
Darius codomannus 336-332 BC (defeated by Alexander the Great)

When we read in Ezra about the trouble caused by the people of the land we see the same order of the first five kings,
"Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote..." Ezra 4:4-7
We know that the name Ahasuerus is often associated with the name Xerxes, and if Cambyses is covered in the term from Cyrus to Darius than all of the first five kings are covered in this section. At the end of chapter 4, Artaxerxes writes back to cease the restoration and verse 24 tells us this ceased unto the second year of Darius, obviously speaking of Darius II. His second year would be 422 BC, 117 years from the 539 BC command from Cyrus to rebuild.
In Ezra 5:1 we hear the call begin, "Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied..." It is at this time that we enter the time of these prophets, Nehemiah and Joshua son of Jozedek.

So looking back at the prophecy of Daniel we see 7 weeks, 62 weeks, troublous times, and a final week determined upon Israel. If we split this up we get a 49 year period, a 434 year period and what would seem to be a third period which I believe is clearly in-between the first two.

The first 7 weeks, or 49 years is from 539 BC to 490 BC. This extends from the command to restore Jerusalem by Cyrus into most of the reign of Darius I, matching with the Cyrus to Darius in Ezra 4 noted above.
Next we want to determine when the 62 weeks, or 434 years, begins. We have an advantage in that we know when it ends; when Messiah is cut off. We know that Jesus was crucified in 30 AD. 434 years before this is 404 BC, exactly at the beginning of the reign of Artaxerxes II.

If this is correct, than the interregnum covers from c490 to c404 BC, or 86 years, covering the reigns of Xerxes (Ahasuerus), Artaxerxes I and Darius II. These are the exact kings mentioned in Ezra as being involved in the letter writings back and forth when the enemies of Israel are determined to make the Jews stop their rebuilding projects. During the reign of Darius II, the Jews, with the help of Nehemiah and Haggai and Zechariah begin again to rebuild and eventually a search is made by Darius II to find the original decree of Cyrus. (Ezra 5:17-6:13)
Nehemiah 2:1 states that He left for Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, one we would take to be Artaxerxes I and therefore the year 445 BC. He continued for 12 years unto 433 BC Neh 5:14; 13:6) It is during this time that he begins to sanctify Israel to seek the Lord.
Haggai 1:1; Zech 1:1; are in the second year of Darius...; being Darius II, and nearing the end of the troublous times. Zech 7:1 is in the fourth year of Darius.

It is interesting to note that Zechariah mentions another period of 70 years in Zech 7:5, this is the 4th year of Darius being 420 BC, or 70 years after the date of 490 BC we get for the end of the first 7 weeks (49 years). He is speaking near the end of the interregnum, encouraging the people to seek the Lord and get on with the job (Also see Zech 1:12), but the beginning of this period is when the first work ceased. It is quite instructive to see that the people were near the end, they had come at the command of Cyrus, been encouraged by Nehemiah in the midst of the troublous times to rebuild the wall, had gotten Darius to find the decree of Cyrus and now years later were nearing the end of rebuilding the temple. This was not a light thing because it solidified the place of Israel as a nation again. Here we read the prophecies of Zechariah 7-14 and Malachi in the context of coming into the fulness of what God had planned for them and the ultimate judgment of God on them and all the nations round about. Malachi particularly echoes Zech 7:5. The people are losing heart, growing weary, but the prophets come to correct and to instruct that they might not weary even though it had been generations since the command to rebuild.

Finally the job is finished and the worship of God re-instituted:
"And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king" Ezra 6:14-15
This is 418 BC, the sixth year of Darius II.

"Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra..." Ezra 7:1 This would be Artaxerxes II. Here we have the beginning of the period of 62 weeks unto the Messiah. The wall is rebuilt, the temple in operation and the Jews dwelling again in their homeland.

What have we learned? The Bible speaks of many kings of the Persian empire and gets everyone in proper order and helps us to understand what is happening around the command of God. Not a single statement fails to fit exactly into this construct.

Below is a graphic representation of the timeline which incorporates all these things:

Daniel’s 70 weeks	Judah	Egypt	Babylon	Media	Persia	70 weeks of Daniel	Notes	High Priest	Greece
? AD						Final Week
??????	1948 return						Church Age
30 AD							Messiah (Jesus) crucified
4 BC						404 BC-30 AD
100 BC
200 BC
300 BC		Ptolemy	Seleucus						Cassander
310 BC
332 BC					Darius III (Artashatta/Codomannus) 336-332 BC		Battle of Guagamela 331 BC		Alexander conquers Persia 332
340 BC					Artaxerxes IV (Arses) 338-336 BC
350 BC		reconquers Egypt 343 BC			Artaxerxes III (Ochus) 358 BC-338 BC
360 BC					Artaxerxes II
370 BC	32nd year Neh 5:14; 13:6				Artaxerxes II
380 BC	20th yr of Artaxerxes Neh 2:1				Artaxerxes II	Walls rebuilt in troublous times		The Levites in the days of Eliashib- to the reign of Darius the Persian
390 BC					Artaxerxes II			And Jeshua begat Joiakim, Joiakim also begat Eliashib, and Eliashib begat Joiada (Neh 12:10)
400 BC		Amyertaus	Battle of Cunaxa 401 BC		Artaxerxes II 404BC-358 BC	62 weeks or 434 years	Ezra 7:1; during the reign of Artaxerxes comes Ezra the priest 7th year of Artaxerxes	Joiakim son of Joshua	The 10,000 and Xenophon (Anabasis)
405 BC					Darius II
410 BC					Darius II
415 BC					Darius II		Finished Temple (House of God) in 6th year of Darius; Ezra 6:15
420 BC	Zech 1:1,7 2nd yr of Darius (Ezra 5:1); Haggai 1:1; 2:10		Zech 1:12 is KEY	Edict of Cyrus rediscovered in Ecbatana of the Medes	Darius II 424 BC-405 BC	Ezra 6:15 6th year of Darius finished house	Wall still broken down Neh 8 Ezra & Nehemiah (Zech 1:12 2nd year of Darius (Lo these 70 years; 490-420) Zech 7 4th year)  Zech 7:5, Edict of Cyrus rediscovered; Ezra 5; Ezra 6&7 work continues	Ezra 3:2 build the altar
425 BC	Zerubabel				Artaxerxes			Joshua son of Jozadek
430 BC					Artaxerxes		Alternate Esther? (Josephus)
435 BC					Artaxerxes
440 BC					Artaxerxes
445 BC					Artaxerxes
450 BC					Artaxerxes	? 86 yr interregnum	KEY Ezra 4:24 work ceased unto 2nd year of Darius	Ezra 7:1 7th year of Artaxerxes
455 BC					Artaxerxes (Longimannus)		Ezra 4:7
460 BC		Inaros Revolts in Egypt			Artaxerxes 465 BC-424 BC
465 BC					Xerxes
470 BC					Xerxes		Esther; Ahasuerus over 127 provinces
475 BC					Xerxes
480 BC					Xerxes				Battles of Thermopylae, Salamis and Platea
485 BC					Xerxes 486 BC-465 BC		Ezra 4:6 Xerxes = Ahasueras		Daniel 11:2; stirs up Greece
490 BC					Darius I				Battle of Marathon vs Greece
495 BC					Darius I
500 BC					Darius I
505 BC					Darius I
510 BC					Darius I		founds Persepolis (Paarsa)
515 BC					Darius I		Darius conquers in civil war
520 BC					Darius I 522 BC-486 BC		Darius the usurper, called king of kings
525 BC					Cambyses
530 BC					Cambyses 530 BC-522 BC	7 weeks or 49 years, 539-490 BC	Opposition all the days of Cyrus until Darius and into the days of Ahasueras Ezra 4
535 BC	Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah	Daniel 9; 1st year Darius the Mede		Darius the Mede rules Babylon short time to 538	Cyrus	Daniel 9:25-27	Ezra 1:1 Cyrus’ command freeing Jews to return
539 BC	Ezra 1:1		Belteshazzar regent/Babylon	Darius the Mede	Cyrus (First year as king of Babylon)	609 BC-539 BC	Cyrus conq Babylon 539 BC
540 BC
545 BC			Nabonidus		Cyrus
550 BC			Nabonidus		Cyrus 550 BC-530 BC		Cyrus deposes Astyages 550 BC
555 BC			Nabonidus 555-539 BC (after 2 others)	Astyages	Achaemenids		Cyrus marries Astyages daughter
560 BC			Others	Astyages
565 BC			Nebuchadnezzer 605-562 BC	Astyages
570 BC	Zedekiah 597-586 BC		Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages		70 years of Jeremiah 25 and 29	Israel served Babylon until released by Cyrus
575 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages
580 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages
585 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Astyages 585-549 BC Median
590 BC			Nebuchadnezzer	Cyaxares
595 BC	Jehoiachin		Nebuchadnezzer	Cyaxares
600 BC	Jehoiakim		Nebuchadnezzer	Cyaxares			Second captivity 2 Kings 24:1-10 598/7 BC 2Chr 36 Jer 52 Esther 2:1
605 BC	Jehoahaz	Battle of Carchemish 605 BC	Nebuchadnezzer 605-562 BC	Cyaxares			First captivity 605 BC (Dan 1:1) Mordecai’ ancestor (Esther 2:6) captivity 597 with Jehoiachin
610 BC	Josiah		Nabopolasser 626 BC-605 BC	Cyaxares		609 BC-539 BC	2 Kings 23:26-27 after Josiah Jehovah turns Judah over. Pharaoh Necho deposes Jehoahaz
625 BC	Josiah 640-609 BC	Pharaoh Necho	Nabopolasser 626 BC-605 BC	Cyaxares 624-585 BC Median		Isa 44:27-45:1 Isaiah prophecies of Cyrus

There is a problematic individual; Darius the Mede. He is mentioned as king of Babylon by Daniel when it is first conquered by the Medo-Persian empire, and he is the one who famously had Daniel thrown into a den of lions. I believe that he is the Median General who first took Babylon for Cyrus, and he only reigned for 1 year in Babylon before he died; this fits perfectly with the book of Daniel which mentions no further years of Kingship for him. The General is known as Agabu and is known to have lived only a short time after the conquering of Babylon, fitting with the only mention of him in Daniel. The following is a very good monograph on the subject which I recommend reading if you are interested in Darius the Mede. http://www.auss.info/auss_publication_file.php?pub_id=654
Some have said that Darius the Mede was Astyages the Father-in-law of Cyrus, I have not seen clear evidence for this in the contradictory accounts which exist, but either way, he was not Cyrus himself, but a king under the Great King, and as the Bible makes clear, a short-lived ruler of Babylon.

The next difficult persons are Mordecai, Esther and the Ahasuerus who marries Esther. (Ahasuerus is believed to be a title by some, but as a name it is linked to Xerxes, beginning his reign in 486 BC). According to the book of Esther, 2:5, Mordecai's Grandfather Kish went into captivity with Jeconiah (Jehoiachin). This is important, for the common idea that Mordecai went captive with Jehoiachin is untenable chronologically as he would be about 125 years old at this time. Mordecai appears in Shushan, a different city from Babylon, a city of the Medes and palace of Xerxes, remember that the Medes were allies of Babylon and must have shared in the captives taken from Jerusalem. In addition we know that Ahasuerus ruled from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces (Esther 1:1), an extent which did not happen until after Cyrus and a division which has not yet been identified. Therefore I conclude Esther is a wife of Xerxes. (Alternatively she could be a wife of his son Artaxerxes I)

"Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite; Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away" Esther 2:5-6

Lastly is Joiakim son of Joshua son of Josedech. Joshua is a key player throughout the interregnum period and his son Joiakim takes over from him according to Nehemiah 12:26. Joshua seems to be High Priest during much of this troublous times, and is mentioned in what appears to be early returnees with Zerubabel and appears up to 70 years later in Zechariah but passes the priesthood to his son Joiakim at what was likely a very old age.

So much more to say, the story is great, Covering over 200 years of time and more than anything else teaching us to trust in God. To hear the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah in the context of exactly what was occurring and the tremendous opposition that they faced speaks to faithfulness and determination to seek the kingdom of God (Here represented in the temple in Jerusalem) above your own life. They were fought against, in peril, and yet persevered to trust God to see it through.