1.8 The Old Testament Prophets

• The meaning of prophet and prophecy
• Categories of prophets in the Old Testament
• Importance of prophets in Israel
• The relationship between Old and New Testament prophecies
• Relevance of prophecy to Christians today
• Characteristics of false prophets and how to discern them

• explain the meaning of the terms prophet and prophecy
• outline categories of prophets in the Old Testament
• describe the importance of prophets in Israel
• analyse the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament prophecies
• establish the relevance of prophecy to Christians today
• utilise acquired knowledge to avoid being misled by false prophets

“How can you distinguish true prophets from false prophets?”

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1. Prophets and prophecy: meaning, categories and importance
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   What a prophet was, how the Old Testament prophets are grouped, and what they did for Israel.
2. Old and New Testament prophecy, its relevance, and false prophets
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   How Christians relate Old Testament prophecy to the New Testament, why prophecy matters today, and how to tell a true prophet from a false one.
3. How God called the prophets
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The pattern of a prophetic call in Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos and Ezekiel, and why reluctance is common while a hunger for a title is not a credential.
4. Non-writing prophets: Samuel to Micaiah
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Samuel, Nathan, Gad, Ahijah, Elijah, Elisha and Micaiah - prophets known from the historical books - plus schools of prophets and why a book is not the test of importance.
5. Prophets as a check on kings
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Why prophets mattered in Israel: they were often the only lawful rebuke a king received, with Nathan, Elijah, Micaiah and Jeremiah as the working examples.
6. Social justice in the prophets
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Amos, Isaiah and Micah on courts, land, weights and the poor; why worship without justice was rejected; and how the same demands meet bribery and exploitation in Kenya.
7. Promise and fulfilment across the Testaments
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   How Christians relate Old and New Testament prophecy: promise and fulfilment, shadow and reality, continuity of purpose, with selected pairs and a respectful note on Jewish reading.
8. Discerning false prophets in Kenya today
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Using Deuteronomy 13 and 18, fruit, money and unpopular truth to test claims in Kenya, without naming churches, and preparing questions for a resource person.