Great stress has been placed upon the necessity for the right division of Scripture in the pages of

this magazine, and with sixteen years of study and publicity we realize more than ever how fundamental,

how essential 2 Tim. 2: 15 is to the true interpretation of all Scripture. This division, however, never

loses sight of-the organic, oneness of the Scriptures, a truth expressed in our key pamphlet which we

have entitled "United, yet Divided." The prophets of the O.T. spoke to Israel, Judah, or the nations. The

church as understood by Paul in his later ministry was never in view, yet although this is so, it by no

means indicates that the Gentiles, saved by grace and called to share the glories of the heavenly places,

have no interest in these O.T. prophets, or that no spiritual blessings can be received by their prayerful

study. On the contrary, while we see the essential difference that there is between Jew, Gentile, and

Church, between Kingdom, Bride and Body, between earth, heaven and the super heavens, yet we also

rejoice in the fact that all are the objects of the love of God, redeemed by the same precious blood, and

parts of one great and majestic purpose. As fellow-partakers, therefore, of the grace of God, it warms our

hearts and helps us to understand our own pathway better to trace His hand and see His ways with His

typical people Israel.

We therefore propose to study the teaching of the O.T. prophets in this series. We are immediately

confronted with the question of time and space, for the O.T. prophets equal two-thirds of the complete

N.T. in bulk, and therefore anything like an exhaustive study is quite outside the possibilities of these

pages. Our studies therefore will have to be broad views, with a descent into details where the passage is

peculiarly representative, leaving the student to pursue by means of these helps and hints the delightful

task of closer study of God's wonderful purposes for His ancient people.

The unity of theme that is traceable through the prophets (omitting Jonah, whose message was to

Nineveh and not to Israel) is of greater importance as an aid to understanding than the observation of the

individual peculiarities of each prophet. The fact that God used a great variety of human agents, who

were cal1ed in a variety of circumstances "at sundry times and in divers manners," would necessarily

leave its impress upon the mode of revelation without altering for one moment its full inspiration. Isaiah

wrote his messages before the captivity, and spoke particularly though not exclusively "concerning Judah

and Jerusalem"; Ezekiel and Daniel receive their visions during the captivity, both describe wonders and

heavenly visions, but from different standpoints. Zechariah and Daniel prophesy at the close of the

captivity. Sometimes the bulk of a prophet's burden is that of judgment, burning indignation, or bitter

tears; terrible threats or tender entreaties may characterize this prophet or that, but whether dominant or

recessive, whether minor or major, whether subdued or overflowing, we find one grand theme runs

through every prophet's utterance.

ISAIAH.-This great prophet, to whose rapt visions and burning words we turn for, perhaps the

fullest Messianic prophecies, is divided into two parts;-

These main sections have, of course, many sub-divisions. Moreover, we do not suggest that the

prophet's words are to be considered as being in water-tight departments. Anticipations of coming glory

find their way into the early section. References to dispersion and judgment are to be found in the later

section, but speaking generally of the book as a whole the above is a fair presentation of its trend.

JEREMIAH.-The analysis of Jeremiah is much more complicated than that of Isaiah. Chronological

sequence at times gives place to the necessities of prophetic and dispensational instruction. There is

nevertheless a very complete parallel with Isaiah in the use and distribution of one important feature, to

which we shall have to devote a separate paper owing to its length and importance. Two passages in

Jeremiah, however, may be looked upon as the foci of his prophecy:

"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy,

and to throw down, to build, and to plant. Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest

thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten My

word to perform it" (Jer. 1: 10-12).

"And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw

down, and to destroy, and to afflict: so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord. . . . If those

ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me

for ever" (Jer. 31: 28,36).