Introduction
Welcome to our new series studying the Biblical Prophets. These books are among the most important in Scripture, yet they are often overlooked. The Bible read by the earliest church was the Old Testament—especially the Prophets. While the New Testament was still being written, the first Christians had grown up hearing and memorizing these stories. They knew that the prophetic books pointed to the day when the Lord would dwell with His people in a future kingdom. These promises gave them hope and prepared them to recognize the fulfillment of God’s plan in Jesus, the righteous King.
17 'Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
ICEBREAKER: What is your favorite title for Jesus?
🧭 The Prophetic Foundation
A guide to understanding the heart of God’s messengers.
1. The Core Definition: What is a Prophet?
A prophet is a divine messenger called to bring God’s specific word to a specific people in a specific moment. Their primary role was "forth-telling"—declaring God’s truth to the present generation—rather than just "fore-telling" the distant future.
- Scripture: "But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds." (Jeremiah 23:22)
2. The Ethical Purpose: Why did they speak?
Biblical prophecy is overwhelmingly ethical. When a prophet speaks of future judgment, it is a warning to repent; when they speak of future blessing, it is an incentive to persevere. The goal is not to satisfy our curiosity, but to demand a total transformation of our lives in the here and now.
- Scripture: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)
3. Modern Application: How do we listen?
For the Church today, the Prophets are a call to action. We must evaluate our own ethical obedience against God’s unchanging standards of holiness, mercy, and faithfulness.
- Scripture: "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)
Because expectations about the future directly impact our present priorities and values, prophecy was given to shape how we live today. Ultimately, all prophecy points to Jesus Christ and His sovereign rule. By viewing prophecy through this lens, we see it as a comforting assurance to encourage believers during times of severe trial, reminding them that Christ controls the chaos of human history.
📝 Recap: Joel & The Called Out Ones
In our second week, we learned of Joel’s vision of a transition of the Holy Spirit from a 1-to-1 relationship with specific leaders (Kings, Priests, and Prophets) to a "poured out" reality for all mankind. We discovered that the Church is not just a group of people, but a living, breathing Temple where God no longer dwells in a stone cube, but within a Bride. Jesus is our bridegroom He left His Father’s house to find His Bride at a "well" (the Samaritan woman).
He paid for His Bride with His own blood, establishing a new marriage contract.
He ascended to the "True Holy of Holies" to prepare a permanent dwelling place—not a room in the sky, but a place for God to dwell within the human heart.
🎯 The Big Takeaway
The Church is the living evidence of the Resurrection, functioning as the Spirit-empowered Temple that invites a "divorced" world back into a marriage covenant with God.
Isaiah and Gods Identity
Today lesson is that Prophecy functions as a Theological Dictionary. Before Jesus could step onto the scene and claim to be the "I AM," God had to spend centuries defining exactly what that term meant so that when the Word became flesh, the Bride would have the vocabulary to understand Him. Prophecy teaches us Biblical concepts.
🏛️ Part 1: The Identity Revealed (Exodus 3)
When God called Moses from the burning bush, He wasn’t just giving him a mission — He was revealing His very nature.
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’” — Exodus 3:14
God doesn’t describe Himself by His actions—He doesn’t say, “I am the one who frees the oppressed” or “I am the God of miracles.” Instead, He reveals His being itself. He is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging.
“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” — Psalm 90:2
The Name “I AM” isn’t a label—it’s a definition of existence, echoing throughout Scripture.
In the ancient world, a name defined the "nature" of a person. God responds with
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” — Malachi 3:6
“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” — Psalm 45:6
God’s Name also carries exclusivity—there is no other:
“For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?” — Psalm 89:6
Discussion Question: Why do you think the name of God (YHWH) became so sacred that it wasn’t spoken? What does that reveal about how seriously this identity was taken? Claiming this name is claiming the attributes of the Creator Himself.
🛡️ Part 2: The "I AM" in Isaiah (Ani Hu)
In Exodus, God gave the Name. In Isaiah, He defends the Name.
In the book of Isaiah, God uses the name revealed to Moses but adapts it into a specific Hebrew phrase: "Ani Hu" (I am He). This section functions as a "dictionary" to define God’s nature before Jesus arrives.
Isaiah’s ministry spanned over 40 years during a time of total national collapse. He watched the northern kingdom of Israel get wiped off the map by the Assyrians. Soon, the same superpower was knocking on the doors of Jerusalem.
In the ancient world, power was tied to Geography.
- The Old Proof: Under Moses and Joshua, destroying Egypt and taking Canaan was the evidence that YHWH was the Supreme King.
- The New Challenge: The Assyrian King, Sennacherib, stood outside the walls of Jerusalem and mocked God. He claimed that YHWH was just another "local idol" that would fall like all the others.
- The Result: God answered that boast. Because the King of Israel repented and put his trust in the LORD, God wiped out the Assyrian army (Isaiah 37:36) in one night, proving that while the other "gods" were just wood and stone, He was the Living King.
However, Israel eventually failed to keep their covenant. as a result God told them that he would send a judgment on the nation. When Babylon came for them, the kingdom was taken away. The Temple was burned, and the people were dragged into exile. This created a crisis of faith: "If we lost our land, did our God lose His power?"
⚖️ The Trial of the False Gods
To resolve this crisis, God calls a "Trial." He uses His "I AM" name for the first time in the book. God challenges the other gods of the nations. Isaiah presents a specific test to distinguish the True God from idols: the ability to control and declare time.
- The "One from the East" (v. 2-3): God points to a conqueror (Cyrus the Great) who is tearing through nations like "dust."
- The Big Question (v. 4): The world thought Cyrus was just a lucky, powerful king. God says, "No, I called him. I am the one who scheduled his birth and his victories."
Ask for a reader for the next two passages
1 'Coastlands, listen to Me in silence, And let the peoples gain new strength; Let them come forward, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment. 2 'Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow. 3 'He pursues them, passing on in safety, By a way he had not been traversing with his feet. 4 'Who has performed and accomplished [it], Calling forth the generations from the beginning? 'I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.''
God then addresses the "gods" of the nations directly.
21 'Present your case,' the LORD says. 'Bring forward your strong [arguments],' The King of Jacob says. 22 Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former [events], declare what they [were], That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming; 23 Declare the things that are going to come afterward, That we may know that you are gods; Indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. 24 Behold, you are of no account, And your work amounts to nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
Discussion: According to these verses, what are the two things a "Real God" must be able to do with Time?
A "Real God" must own the past (explaining why things happened) and the future (declaring what will happen).
If He is the First and the Last, then there is no "before" Him and no "after" Him. He was well aware the King of Babylon was coming, if you listened to the other prophets you would know God himself sent him. He even dares other gods: "Indeed, do good or evil, that we may... fear together." He is literally saying, "Do something! Move a finger! Bless someone or curse someone—just prove you aren't a statue!" "Behold, you are of no account, and your work amounts to nothing."
Discussion: *Why Is Isaiah using the name given to Moses at the exodus to say make these claims?
Because only the creator Himself can have these attributes. Only The one that controls time itself can declare it. God is claiming Ownership of History.
When Jesus spoke of His Death, this is what He said.
18 'I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but [it is] that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.' 19 'From now on I am telling you before [it] comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am [He]. 20 'Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.' 21 When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.' 22 The disciples [began] looking at one another, at a loss [to know] of which one He was speaking.
Discussion: How Does Jesus Pass The Test Of Being The True God
Jesus is claiming Ownership of History.
The Pairing Pattern
**In Isaiah, the revelation of God’s Name is the primary antidote to fear. There is a consistent pattern where the declaration "I am He" (Ani Hu) is immediately followed by a command to trust. Every time "I am" and "do not fear" appear together in the Hebrew Bible, the speaker is exclusively God. Whether it is Isaiah 41:10 ("Do not fear, for I am with you") or Isaiah 43:1 ("Do not fear, for I have redeemed you")
1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. 3 'For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. 4 'Since you are precious in My sight, [Since] you are honored and I love you, I will give [other] men in your place and [other] peoples in exchange for your life. 5 'Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west. 6 'I will say to the north, 'Give [them] up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold [them] back.' Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, 7 Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.' 8 Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears. 9 All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, 'It is true.' 10 'You are My witnesses,' declares the LORD, 'And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 'I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. 12 'It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange [god] among you; So you are My witnesses,' declares the LORD, 'And I am God. 13 'Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?' 14 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, 'For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And will bring them all down as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans, into the ships in which they rejoice. 15 'I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.' 16 Thus says the LORD, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,
Discussion: How does Isaiah's focus on God's Name bring comfort during times of chaos or exile?
- If the "I AM" who outlasts history is holding your hand, the chaos of the present cannot defeat you.
19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He said to them, 'It is I; do not be afraid.' 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Discussion: Why did Jesus invoke the Name in the storm?
- Jesus bringing order to the sea echoes God making a path through the depths in Isaiah 43:16 and 51:10.
| Verse Reference | Verse |
|---|---|
| Isaiah 41:10 | So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. |
| Isaiah 41:13 | For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. |
| Isaiah 43:1 | But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." |
| Isaiah 43:5 | Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. |
| Isaiah 44:2 | This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. |
| Isaiah 54:4 | "Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood." |
| Isaiah 41:4 | Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—with the first of them and with the last—I am he." |
| Isaiah 43:10 | "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me." |
| Isaiah 43:25 | "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more." |
| Isaiah 45:18 | For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: "I am the Lord, and there is no other." |
| Isaiah 46:4 | Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. |
| Isaiah 48:12 | "Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last." |
| Isaiah 51:12 | "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass." |
- It belongs only to God (Exclusivity): In the Bible, no one else—not a king, an angel, or a "god"—can say "I AM" in this specific way. It is the signature of the one true God. When you hear "I AM," you know exactly who is speaking.
- He is above everything (Supremacy): This name reminds us that God isn't just the "biggest" thing in the universe; He is in a category all by Himself. He doesn't answer to anyone, and nothing can compare to Him.
- He owns History (Sovereignty & Redemption): Because God is the "First and the Last," He isn't surprised by what happens. Because He controls history, He has the power to step into our mess and rescue us.
- He made everything (Creation): The "I AM" is the only "Uncreated Being." Everything else—the stars, the earth, and you—depends on Him to exist. He is the source of all life.
- It gives us Hope (Faith): For the Israelites in exile, they felt like they had lost everything. God used His Name to say: "I haven't changed. If I was the 'I AM' who split the Red Sea, I am still the 'I AM' who can bring you home." It turns their eyes off their problems and onto His character.
- It is a "Acronym" for the Covenant: Think of "I AM" as a shorthand for the full name God gave Moses (YHWH). It carries all the weight of God’s promises, His laws, and His relationship with His people in one powerful, two-word phrase.
⚡The Johannine Bridge
When the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), the phrase Ani Hu (I am He) was translated as "Ego Eimi." This is the exact phrase Jesus uses in the Gospel of John.
When Jesus uses the phrase "I am He" (Ego Eimi) in the Gospel of John, He is explicitly pulling from this Isaiah "dictionary."
6 'Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, 'Here I am.''
In those passages, the phrase "I am He" is how Yahweh identifies Himself as the only Savior and the one who reveals truth to His people.
Check what Jesus said the very first time He declared Himself to be the Messiah to the Samaritans
5 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give Me a drink.' 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?' (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.' 11 She said to Him, 'Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 'You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?' 13 Jesus answered and said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.' 15 The woman said to Him, 'Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.' 16 He said to her, 'Go, call your husband and come here.' 17 The woman answered and said, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.' 19 The woman said to Him, 'Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 'Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you [people] say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.' 21 Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 'You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 'But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 'God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.' 25 The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.'
Observe the increasing level of knowledge the woman quickly has about Jesus
- She call him [____________] (v9)
- She then addresses him with a respectful title [____________] (v11)
- As their conversation deepens, she recognizes his spiritual insight and calls him a [____________] (v19)
- Finally, she brings up the ultimate expectation, stating, "I know that the [____________] (v25) is coming"
Jesus responds:
26 Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am [He].' 27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, 'What do You seek?' or, 'Why do You speak with her?' 28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 29 'Come, see a man who told me all the things that I [have] done; this is not the Christ, is it?' 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.
On the surface, Jesus is confirming that he is indeed the Messiah she just mentioned. However, if Jesus simply wanted to confirm this, saying "I am the Messiah" would have been a much clearer reply.
"The God who promised in the scriptures that 'In that day my people will know my name... that it is I who speak' I AM is now standing right in front of you."
Discussion: What Was Her Reaction to the Name?
The Reaction Of The Name
I want to show you a passage from the book of John that I love a lot.
4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, 'Whom do you seek?' 5 They answered Him, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' He said to them, 'I am [He].' And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, 'I am [He],' they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Therefore He again asked them, 'Whom do you seek?' And they said, 'Jesus the Nazarene.' 8 Jesus answered, 'I told you that I am [He]; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,' 9 to fulfill the word which He spoke, 'Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.'
Discussion: What caused the Roman soldiers to fall to the ground in verse 6?
Let's walk through it together.
5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with [a belt of] pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also [was] like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. 7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
28 As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so [was] the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw [it], I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.
13 and in the middle of the lampstands [I saw] one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet [were] like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice [was] like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,
Throughout the Bible, we see God's Glory connected to His Name. For example:
11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 12 Then Solomon said, 'The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. 13 'I have surely built You a lofty house, A place for Your dwelling forever.' 14 Then the king faced about and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel was standing. 15 He said, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David and has fulfilled [it] with His hand, saying, 16 'Since the day that I brought My people Israel from Egypt, I did not choose a city out of all the tribes of Israel [in which] to build a house that My name might be there, but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 17 'Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
Discussion: Based on what we have learned in the Prophets, what is John implying when he stated that the Roman soldiers fell to their feet?
We see here that to see God's Glory (Kabod) is functionally the same thing as proclaiming His Name (Shem). The Glory is the "weight" of His presence, and the Name is the "identity" that carries that weight. We see Isaiah also reacted the same way in chapter 6 where He sees God's glory and declares " *5 Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'
Conclusion
I want to relook at what we read in previous verses.
10 'You are My witnesses,' declares the LORD, 'And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
24 'Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins.'
....
28 So Jesus said, 'When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [He], and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
.> ...
58 Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'
This is why as Christians we are to follow the Great Commission from Matthew:
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 'Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'
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