Zechariah 6; Zechariah 7; Zechariah 8; Zechariah 9; Zechariah 10; Zechariah 11; Zechariah 12
Zechariah crowns Joshua, the high priest, in similitude of Christ, the Branch, who will come. Christ will be a priest upon his throne forever. The Lord reproves hypocrisy in fasts. He calls upon the people to show mercy and compassion and to live godly lives. In the last days, Jerusalem will be restored, Judah will be gathered, and the Lord will bless his people beyond anything in the past. Zechariah speaks as the Messiah. The Messiah will come, having salvation, lowly and riding upon an ass. He will free the prisoners from the pit. Judah and Ephraim are instruments of the Lord. Judah and Joseph will be scattered among the people in far countries. The Lord will hiss for them, gather them, and redeem them. Zechariah speaks about the Messiah. The Messiah will be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. They will be cast to the potter in the house of the Lord. In the final great war, all nations will be engaged at Jerusalem, but the Lord will defend his people. Then the Jews will look upon the Lord, whom they crucified, and there will be great mourning.
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Haggai 1; Haggai 2; Zechariah 1; Zechariah 2; Zechariah 3; Zechariah 4; Zechariah 5
Haggai exhorts the people to build the temple. Haggai speaks about the Messiah. The desire of all nations will come. The Lord will give peace in his temple. Zechariah calls upon Judah to repent. He is shown in vision that the cities of Judah and the temple will be rebuilt. In the last days, Judah will gather to Jerusalem. The people will come from the land of the north. The Lord will dwell among them. Zechariah speaks about the Messiah. The Branch will come. At the Second Coming, iniquity will be removed in one day. Zerubbabel will lay the foundation of and finish the house of the Lord, the temple of Zerubbabel. An angel reveals truths to Zechariah by the use of symbolism.
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Nahum 1; Nahum 2; Nahum 3; Habakkuk 1; Habakkuk 2; Habakkuk 3; Zephaniah 1; Zephaniah 2; Zephaniah 3
Nahum speaks of the burning of the earth at the Second Coming and of the mercy and power of the Lord. Nineveh will be destroyed, which is a symbol of what will be in the latter days. The miserable downfall of Nineveh is foretold. When Habakkuk learns that the Lord will raise up the Chaldeans to overrun the land of Israel, he is troubled that the wicked can be thus employed. The Lord admonishes patience and promises that the just will live by faith. The earth will be filled with knowledge about God. Idols have no power. In his prayer Habakkuk trembles at the majesty of God. The destruction of Judah is symbolic of the Second Coming. It is the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, a day of wrath and trouble. Seek righteousness; seek meekness. Judgment will come upon the Philistines, the Moabites, the children of Ammon, the Ethiopians, and the Assyrians. At the Second Coming, all nations will assemble to battle. Men will have a pure language. The Lord will reign in their midst.
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Micah 1; Micah 2; Micah 3; Micah 4; Micah 5; Micah 6; Micah 7
Micah prophesies the downfall of Samaria and Jerusalem. The destruction of Israel is lamented. The Lord will gather the remnant of Israel. Priests who teach for hire and prophets who divine for money bring a curse upon the people. In the last days, the temple will be built, Israel will gather to it, the millennial era will commence, and the Lord will reign in Zion. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. In the last days, the remnant of Jacob will triumph gloriously over the Gentiles. In spite of all his goodness to them, the people have not served the Lord in spirit and in truth. They must act righteously, love mercy, and walk humbly before him. Though the people of Israel have rebelled, yet in the last days the Lord will have mercy on them. He will have compassion and pardon their iniquities.
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Amos 8; Amos 9; Obadiah 1; Jonah 1; Jonah 2; Jonah 3; Jonah 4
Amos prophesies the downfall of Israel. There will be a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Israel will be sifted among all nations. In the last days, the people of Israel will be gathered again into their own land, and it will become productive. Obadiah prophesies the downfall of Edom. Saviors will stand upon Mount Zion. Jonah is sent to call Nineveh to repentance. He flees on a ship, is cast into the sea, and is swallowed by a great fish. Jonah prays to the Lord, and the fish vomits him out on dry ground. Jonah prophesies the downfall of Nineveh. The people repent, and the city is saved. Jonah is displeased with the Lord for his mercy upon the people. The Lord rebukes him.
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Amos 1; Amos 2; Amos 3; Amos 4; Amos 5; Amos 6; Amos 7
Amos shows the Lord’s judgments upon Syria, the Philistines, Tyre, Edom, and Ammon. The Lord will pour out judgments upon Moab, Judah, and Israel for their unrighteousness. The Lord reveals his secrets unto his servants the prophets. Because Israel rejects the prophets and follows evil, the nation is overwhelmed by an adversary. The Lord withholds rain, sends famine and pestilence, and destroys gardens and vineyards as judgments upon his people, yet they do not return unto the Lord. The people of Israel are exhorted to seek the Lord and do good so that they may live. Their sacrifices to false gods are abhorrent. Woe to them who are at ease in Zion. Israel will be plagued with desolation. Amos relates how he was called of God to be a prophet. He prophesies the captivity of Israel.
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"Prophets of the Lord were called to labor among people whose lives remained in spiritual darkness. Joel was one of these prophets called to minister to a people who refused to repent. His prophecies have a common theme with those of Isaiah, Jonah, Amos, and others: repent or face destruction.
"Joel is particularly significant to us because he prophesied of our day. On the night he visited Joseph Smith, Moroni quoted from Joel and said that the prophecies would shortly be fulfilled. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:41.) Joel is also a major source of information on the battle of Armageddon, one of the momentous events in the coming history of the world. So, although the book of Joel is a short work, it is full of valuable insights and information. They are applicable to us today, although they were written over twenty-five hundred years ago."
This is the introduction to the notes and commentary on the Book of Joel in the church educational system's institute course on the Old Testament. If you wish to read this, please click on this link.
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"Have you ever given love and trust, or even made solemn covenants, and then been betrayed? Or have you ever been loved and trusted by someone but then, in weakness, betrayed that trust and damaged the relationship and thus know the yearning to be loved and trusted again?
"Read carefully Hosea’s description of God’s feelings toward those who have covenanted with Him and then betrayed the trust. Examine your own life for experiences that will help you understand Hosea’s message.
"During the time of Hosea, the Israelites were influenced heavily by the worship and ways of the Canaanites. The sophistication of the city-based Canaanite farmers who surrounded them, the fertility of their flocks and fields (apparently elicited from the gods and goddesses of fertility) attracted the Israelite farmers. The rites by which the people supplicated the gods of fertility were lewd, licentious, and immoral. Even though Israel had covenanted at Sinai to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation unto God, by the time of Hosea, God’s people had become deeply involved in the practices of their neighbors, whose way of life should have repelled them.
"Using the imagery of a marriage, the Lord, through Hosea, taught His people that though they had been unfaithful to Him, He would still not divorce them (cast them off) if they would but turn back to Him. Though Hosea speaks of a nation, the same principle holds true for individuals. Even those who have been grossly unfaithful to God can reestablish their relationship with Him if they will but turn back to Him with full purpose of heart."
This is the introduction to the notes and commentary on the Book of Hosea in the church educational system's institute course on the Old Testament. If you wish to read this, please click on this link.
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Hosea 10; Hosea 11; Hosea 12; Hosea 13; Hosea 14; Joel 1; Joel 2; Joel 3
Israel has plowed wickedness and reaped iniquity. Hosea calls upon Israel to seek the Lord. Israel, as a child, was called out of Egypt in similitude of our Lord, as a child, coming out of Egypt. But Ephraim turns away from the Lord. The Lord uses prophets, visions, and similitudes to guide his people, but they become rich and will not wait on the Lord. Ephraim provokes him most bitterly. Ephraim’s sins provoke the Lord. There is no Savior beside the Lord. He ransoms from the grave and redeems from death. In the last days, Ephraim will repent and return unto the Lord.
Call a solemn assembly and gather to the house of the Lord, for the day of the Lord is at hand. War and desolation will precede the Second Coming. The sun and the moon will be darkened. The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. There will be dreams and visions. All nations will be at war. Multitudes will stand in the valley of decision as the Second Coming draws near. The Lord will dwell in Zion
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