Whenever the Israelites would act out against G-d, the prophets would rise up and rebuke the people for whatever they were doing. The prophets would also make predictions about the future, known as prophecies. These prophecies help shape the beliefs of the Jewish people and continue to be sources of inspiration to millions of people worldwide.
A very famous and well known prophet was Isaiah. Isaiah is known for making prophecies about the world of the future. Thousands of years ago he lived in Israel and preached about a world far off in time. In this world many of the problems his friends and family dealt with would be solved.
Taken from the book of Isaiah:
35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
35:9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
As strange of an idea as this may sound, maybe we also have prophets today. Sure, according to Judaism the last prophet to walk the earth died thousands of years ago. But maybe to be a prophet all you need to do is get people looking forward. Maybe all you need to do is inspire people. The words from the Book of Isaiah all picture this positive world.
There have been countless people who inspired the world around us. Everything from the freedoms you enjoy to the technology you love had inspiration from these Modern Day Prophets!
Now that we have an idea about the classical Jewish Prophets, we can start thinking about Prophets that inspired our current world.
Believe it or not, this world use to have a lot less freedom in it. The world used to be a very unsafe place for Jews. Before Theodore Herzl, Jews only dreamed about a homeland of their own.
Theodore Herzl is famous for publishing his book, Altneuland, German for "Old New Land". He once said, "If you will it, then it is no dream."
Although Theordore Herzl never lived to see the formation of Israel in 1948, having died in 1904, he still is considered to be a father of the Modern state of Israel, and one of our most precious visionaries.
Other modern day prophets, even outside of the Jewish people, have made huge impacts on the world. These prophets have changed the world for the better, and have improved the way we all live. One of the most important ones that I can think of is none other than Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
Even long after the abolishment of slavery, African Americans were still having their human rights violated by an oppressive society. If it wasn't for special forward-thinking individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr., our country would still be divided across racial barriers. King's method of peaceful protest allowed his followers to overcome the injustices. One of the most famous things King said was
"Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring -- when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children -- black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics -- will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Some modern day prophets have also changed the world with artistic expression. These people are incredible visionaries, using their entertaining power to change the minds of their passionate fans. Considering there are so many different modern day prophets to choose from, we have to narrow our focus down to two.
One of my favorites was a man named John Lennon.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS GROOVY SONG!
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world
You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Just think about those lyrics and you think they are helping to shape the world today! Go on, I said think!!!!
Another great modern day prophet in the world of Rock N' Roll is the venerable Bob Dylan. You probably also know him as the coolest person to ever live...like EVER!
Bob Dylan is loved and remembered mostly for his lyrical writing. He is famous for putting the most beautiful words to the most beautiful melodies. In one of his songs, "Blowing in the Wind", you can really hear the beauty of his words and music come together to create something really special.
How many roads most a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
Questions:
What do you think it takes to be a prophet?
How do you think music affects the message of the modern day prophets?
What is the most important message a prophet could give today?
