Minor Prophets Explained (KJV) — Understanding the Day of the Lord

Obviously, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16) But I’ll admit that from the day I got saved more than 50 years ago, I have only read the 12 minor prophet books quickly to check them off my read through the Bible in a year plan. Until recently I had never studied one. There are probably two reasons for that. A) There’s not a lot of inspirational personal application in that part of the Bible to draw me in and B) They seem mysteriously hard to understand.

But a year or so ago I started thinking, why not study them given that they are prophesy? They tell the future. God elected to reveal what He wants us to know is coming. Why would I not want to study that? Here are a few basic points I’m keeping in mind as I’m studying them now.

·       Most of the Old Testament was written to the Jews. None of it was written to the church. The church wasn’t born yet. Jesus hadn’t even come yet. So some of the prophesy in the minor prophets relates to Christ’s first coming. But most of it highlights His second coming. That’s the main focal point of the minor prophets.

·       I know this because the end-times/second coming/battle of Armageddon references depicted by the key phrases the Day of the Lord and that day pop up everywhere. Five of the minor prophets mention the day of the Lord and nine of them talk about that day. These refer to the same thing.

·       In summary, the minor prophets confront sin, warn of judgment and reveal the future day of the Lord—culminating in Israel’s restoration and the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

·       All this supports what we have come to realize is the theme of the Bible: Jesus Christ ruling and reigning on His throne forever. It’s where God is headed with everything. All the current events we see happening right now are leading to that day when He gathers all nations together to fight Israel, and then He returns with the saints and takes care of business, conquering evil and setting up His Millennial kingdom. (This, of course, happens after the rapture of the church followed by the seven-year tribulation.)

I’d like to challenge you to take a minor prophet and study it from that vantage point. As you read, highlight the key words the day of the Lord and that day. Those will be your registration marks as to what He’s talking about.

I just finished studying Zechariah and found it mind-blowing. It’s the longest of the minor prophets and has some significant prophesies that Jesus fulfilled during His first coming. But even more are directed to that day, which is the day God is most looking forward to. He made it pretty obvious in this book, even employing His signature number seven.

·       Zechariah chapter 12 uses the phrase that day seven times. It’s all about the Lord’s promise to defend Jerusalem and their ultimate repentance in that day.

·       Zechariah chapter 14 also uses the phrase that day seven times. It’s all about the Lord descending on Israel and becoming King.

·       Scattered throughout the remaining 12 chapters, that day is used seven times.

I notice that God displays His future plans surrounding His return along with the battle of Armageddon similarly between Zechariah and Joel. They amplify each other in the same way that the four gospels provide a composite view of Christ’s first coming. So now I’m studying the book of Joel looking at the nuances of the day of the Lord. After that, I may move on to Zephaniah, which I notice uses that phrase seven times in its three chapters.

I’ll close with a “how to” tip. You can look up these phrases in an instant if you have a good Bible program/app on your computer and/or phone, and if you are using the KJV version of the Bible. For the computer, I recommend the free e-sword app. For the phone, I recommend the Blue Letter Bible.

Jody