Meredith Kline gave this lecture in the first hour on February 27, 2001 at Westminster Seminary California for the Prophetical Books course. Prophets’ mission to the nations Conducting the lawsuit of the Mosaic Covenant, emphasizing judgment – but echoing the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant about salvation. Major prophets – major block of material that is devoted to oracles devoted to foreign nations. Isaiah 13 – 23 Jeremiah 46 – 51 Ezekiel 25 – 32 Minor prophets direct attention to the nations. Joel 3:1ff. Amos Obadiah about Edom Jonah’s mission to Ninevah Jeremiah 1 – See I have set you over nations and over kingdoms both to pluck up and break down. Jeremiah 28:8 – the prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many great countries and kingdoms Genesis 1 Yahweh had a special relationship with Israel, but he was also the God of all the nations. Prophets were supranational. The supernatural element was seen in the prophets’ being caught up into the heavenly council. Prophets do things that you might otherwise attribute to the conventional king or conventional priest – exercising dominion over the nations (as well Israel). Prophets were supra-cult and supra-court. The Mosaic Covenant was a covenant of works – so the prophets were involved in prosecuting God’s lawsuit against Israel. Were the prophets holding the gentiles accountable to any covenant? The covenant made with Adam. The prophets were calling the gentiles to come out of the covenant with Adam and into the gracious covenant that they are heralding. The message of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 (and other places) was sometimes against other nations – and sometimes prophesying the future salvation of the gentiles. Genesis 9 – the Japhethites are the proto-gentiles. There are threats of judgment against the gentiles – some immediate, some remote. When the judgment is remote – final judgment – the gentiles are seen as the enemies, oppressors, suppressors of God’s people – Gog and Magog – Antichrist. Ezekiel 38 and 39 Daniel – the beast and the little horn Contrary to postmillennial expectations, the future is going to mean suffering for God’s people at the hands of the people of the world. Immediate judgments sometimes come because Israel’s surrounding neighbors have not appropriately respected God’s holy, covenant people. Sometimes it is more in terms of their general defiance of the creator of heaven and earth himself. Genesis 4 – 11 – basic theme is the development of the City of Man as over against the people of faith. Genesis 6 – the divine kingship motif and the ultimate blaspheming of God’s name. This is continued in the days of the prophets. An ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKTqjY2TsPE

Meredith Kline gave this lecture in the second hour on March 13, 2001 at Westminster Seminary California for the Prophetical Books course. Zechariah 9:9ff. Genesis 49 Prophetic idiom Donkey - blood of the covenant Total disarmament and total armament Daniel’s 4 world empires Parousia Gog and Magog Shepherd and flock Shiloh Hosea Isaiah Conducting the lawsuit Hosea 1:1ff. Deuteronomy 31:16ff. Jeremiah Deuteronomy 30 Deuteronomy 32:20-21 Romans 9:24-26 1 Peter 2:10 Deuteronomy 4 Romans 10 Hosea 3 New covenant ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIyfaLcASwM