Follow That Prophet! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Isaiah

The name Isaiah means "the salvation of the Lord" or "the Lord is salvation." The three major themes of the Book of Isaiah are:
Chapters 1-39, about the coming judgement;
Chapters 40-55 announcing the time of salvation;
Chapters 56-66 talking about the return to Jerusalem, and also speak of a division of people into the righteous and the wicked.

Isaiah mentions his wife in chapter 8:3, indicating she was also a prophet in active service.

Answer: Miriam

Miriam was named as a prophetess in Micah 6:4 and Exodus 15: 20,21. Her ministry was firstly to save her brother and secondly to lead the people of Israel in worship after their deliverance from Egypt. Prophets were named amongst those who led worship in several places in scripture including Heman, called the "king's seer" in 1 Chronicles 25:5-6 (NIV). He had "fourteen sons and three daughters" who served at the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres".

Though women are not among the prophets of Israel who had a book named after them, they nonetheless performed an important role on a number of pivotal occasions throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Answer: Locusts

The Book of Joel describes a plague of locusts which lay waste the land, a picture of God's judgement. Joel reminds the people of God's pity upon them and calls them to repentance. God promises not only to restore the land, but also to pour out his Spirit. In the Day of the Lord, to follow, God will judge the people and will then dwell among them.

Answer: Calf

Sadly, the people did not listen to Amos and thirty years later the Assyrians invaded and took the people not killed into exile. In a case of history repeating itself, Israel was again judged for turning away from God to worship idols.

Answer: Cloak

God had said that he would be taking Elijah to heaven. When Elijah asked what last thing he could do for Elisha, Elisha had asked to inherit a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elijah promised he would receive it if Elisha saw the manner in which he (Elijah) was taken to heaven. Elisha saw Elijah taken up in a chariot of fire with horses of fire. He picked up Elijah's cloak, symbolically taking on the mantle of Elijah.

A 'double portion' was the amount allotted to the eldest son and heir - he got twice as much as any other heir. By asking for the double portion, Elisha was asking that he be recognised as Elijah's successor in his prophetic ministry.

I could never remember who came first, Elijah or Elisha; so I just remember that J comes before S in the alphabet - EliJah came before EliSha.

Answer: My Messenger

The message of the book of Malachi is that the Lord will come not only to judge his people but also to bless and restore them. It was a message primarily given to the Levites, the keepers of the law; but it has a secondary application to people of all the ages. That is, that regardless of how we change or how or circumstances change, God never changes.

Malachi is also one of the prophets who Christians believe adds to our knowledge regarding the advent of Jesus. He prophesies about John the Baptist, the one who would prepare the way of the Lord.

Answer: "Walk humbly with your God."

Micah grieved over a number of things. They were his spiritual isolation (the rot in society had reached God's people, meaning they were no longer following God's ways), social peril (trouble came via the government and public officials who "conspire(d) together", and the coming national ruin (this was the day prophesied, when God would put his judgement into effect). He was also grieved over unfaithfulness in relationships (a man's enemies were included the members of his own household).

However, Micah was also a prophet who brought hope. In spite of the doom he prophesied, he also reminded his listeners that God is merciful. It is in Micah that one of the best-known prophecies regarding the birth of the Messiah in the town of Bethlehem is first given.

Answer: Jeremiah

Huldah, in common with other female prophets, conducted her ministry in a private setting, rather than by public proclamation. Those sent by King Josiah to seek her counsel were Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Akbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant. Of interest here is that Hilkiah the priest was the father of Jeremiah, whose ministry started approximately five years after these events.

The Book of the Law had just been found and Josiah, upon reading it, was dismayed that the people of Israel had wandered far from its requirements; hence his inquiry of Huldah. She indicated in her prophecy that judgement would be brought against forgetful Israel, though because of Josiah's personal grief and repentance, he would be spared the judgement. Instead, said Huldah, he would be gathered to his ancestors, and be buried in peace.

Answer: Laodicea

Zephaniah was the great-great-grandson of good king Hezekiah. He warned that the day of judgement was near, when all guilty of idolatry, violence, fraud and those who stood by in idle indifference would be punished.

The churches in the Book of Revelation were firstly literal churches; then, they also represented universal characteristics of churches of all ages. They also represented a prophetical vision of churches, in this case of a church complacent and self-satisfied, hardly needing God's input. Zephaniah warned the people to repent before it was too late. In all this however, he, like other prophets reminded his readers of God's mercy and protection of his people.

Answer: Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy over the valley filled with old, dry human bones. This seems to represent the people of Israel, in this case. As Ezekiel prophesies, the bones start to rattle as they move together to create complete human skeletons; more amazingly, the flesh is restored to the bones. All that is lacking now is breath.

Ezekiel is told: "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" (Ez 37:9) The word for breath or wind here is 'ruach', and is also used elsewhere to mean the Spirit of God.

The prophecy speaks of restoration and regeneration of a people who are spiritually dead. The bones are coming together, but there is no breath in them. This is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled, which speaks of God's people, a nation of believers, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Answer: Jonah

Jonah knew the type of people the Assyrians were - wicked people, evil people, who did not deserve the grace of God. He knew they were likely to invade Israel as they had done in the past. He also knew God's character and that he would forgive the Assyrians if they repented. So instead of going to tell them to repent, as God directed, he went in exactly the opposite direction. Jonah eventually made it to Nineveh and proclaimed the message, resulting in the people of Assyria turning to the Lord. The message, besides demonstrating God's mercy to undeserving people, indicated that the message of salvation is for all people.

Answer: Daniel

Daniel interprets the three words to mean a number, a weight and divide. He says: "Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end; Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting; Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." (Daniel 5:26-28) Peres is the singular of Parsin and can mean either divided, or a half mina or a half shekel.

The moving hand wrote this message during a feast at which Belshazzar the King was presiding. Chapter 5 goes on to say Belshazzar was slain that very night. Cyrus the Persian diverted the River Euphrates enabling him to conquer Babylon. It was under the reigns of Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian that Daniel was thrown into the lions' den and because he survived that, under these kings Daniel was feted and prospered greatly.

Answer: Haggai

Both Haggai and Zechariah prompted the people of Israel to get on and finish the temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587BC. The first of the exiles returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel in 538BC. They had made a start on the temple, but had become apathetic about it. Haggai reminded them the honour of the Lord was at stake.

He had to repeat the message to them four times over a fifteen-week period before they actually got moving on it. The underlying message of the book is a reminder to believers to get their priorities right and seek first God's kingdom.

Answer: Deborah

In the familiar cycle of the history of Israel, the people forget God and go their own way; as a means to bring them to repentance, he allows them to suffer; they cry out to God, and as God is a God of salvation, he provides a deliverer.

In this portion of the book of Judges, Jabin, king of the Canaanite stronghold of Hazor, and his commander Sisera boast 900 iron chariots, and with this strength the Israelites are held captive. Deborah summons Barak and tells him to rise against Jabin to release the Israelites, and prophesies victory. Barak agrees, but insists on Deborah accompanying him. She does, and through the agency of another woman, Jael, victory ensues.

In Judges chapter 5, Deborah records a song of victory, and the last verse says:
"So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
But may all who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength."

Answer: Egypt

What precipitated the flight of the people of Judah to the relative safety of Jerusalem was the murder of the city's governor, Gedaliah. He had been appointed by Nebuchadnezzar after the sack of Jerusalem in 587BC. Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah, then king, to cooperate with Babylon; however, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon and brought about the worst defeat Judah had ever known.

Jeremiah continued from exile to declare God's word, but the Israelites persisted in remaining deaf to his warnings. It is unclear if he ever returned from Egypt.