The Lost World of the Prophets: Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature in Ancient Context

The Lost World Series #7

by John H. Walton

Being responsive to God is at the heart of prophecy. But readers of ancient prophecies and apocalyptic literature―including those in the Old Testament―can come away thoroughly perplexed. Are the prophets speaking about their own times, about our present, or about some still-unrealized future? It's common to study prophecy with a focus on the sole question of prediction and fulfillment, either for the sake of apologetics or for understanding the end times, but such an approach can fail to track with the original intent of the authors. We need to shake loose both from a paradigm of reading prophecy as an offer of mysterious divination as well as from the habit of constructing eschatological timelines of any sort. How do these books work as meaningful Scripture for Christians today? John Walton applies his signature method to help us recover the lost world of the prophets. To read these biblical books well, we must A fresh reading of the Old Testament text in light of the ancient Near Eastern context can open new avenues of awareness. Walton provides a clear, helpful guide to the nature of biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature that will help readers avoid potential misuse and reclaim the message of the prophets for their lives. The books in the Lost World Series follow the pattern set by Bible scholar John H. Walton, bringing a fresh, close reading of the Hebrew text and knowledge of ancient Near Eastern literature to an accessible discussion of the biblical topic at hand using a series of logic-based propositions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, History, Biblical Studies, Religion, Old Testament

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2024

About the author

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament; Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context; Covenant: God’s Purpose, God’s Plan; The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament; and A Survey of the Old Testament.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See:

John H. Walton, Agriculture
John H. Walton, ceramics.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be a very helpful corrective for properly understanding the purpose of OT (and NT) prophesy. If you’re familiar with Walton’s other books you’ll know that he develops his theme through a sequence of prepositions. The table of contents lists the points he makes:

PART 1: ANCIENT NEAR EAST
Proposition 1: Prophecy Is a Subset of Divination
2: Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient
Near East Manifest Similarities and
Differences When Compared to Israel

PART 2: INSTITUTION
3: A Prophet Is a Spokesperson for God,
Not a Predictor of the Future
4: Prophecy in the Old Testament Is Not
Monolithic but Developing
5: The Classical Prophets Are Champions of the Covenant in Times of Crisis
6: Prophecy Takes a Variety of Different Shapes After the Old Testament

PART 3: LITERATURE
7: Recognition of the Categories
of Prophetic Message Help Us to Be More Informed Readers
8: Prophets Were Typically Not Authors
9: The Implied Audience of the Prophetic Books Is Not Necessarily the Audience of the Prophet

PART 4: METHODOLOGICAL AND INTERPRETIVE ISSUES
10: Distinction Between Message and Fulfillment Provides Clear Understanding of Prophetic Literature
11: Fulfillment Follows Oblique Trajectories
12: The New Testament Use of Old Testament Prophecy Focuses on Fulfillment, Not Message
13: Prophecy Carries Important Implications
for Understanding God and the Future, but Our Ability to Forge a Detailed Eschatology with Confidence Is Limited

PART 5: APOCALYPTIC
14: Apocalyptic Should Be Differentiated from Classical Prophecy
15: In Apocalyptic Literature, Visions Are Not the Message but the Occasion for the Message
16: New Testament Apocalyptic Operates by the Same Principles as Old Testament Apocalyptic


I appreciated many of the points Walton makes along the way, but I found his chapter, “A Prophet Is a Spokesperson for God, Not a Predictor of the Future” particularly helpful. He analogizes the way prophets address the future with a professor making a syllabus:

“When I hand out my course syllabus on the first day of class, I have given the students very specific information about the future. For example, I might indicate that on March 16 we will talk about Isaiah. Despite that specificity, when I do so, I am not engaging in prediction; I am announcing my plan. The odds are good that I will indeed talk about Isaiah on the stated day, but that is because I have developed a plan, am committed to my plan, and am generally in control of my plan.
“The idea of the syllabus is not to tell students the future but to help them participate in the course, follow my plan, and hopefully succeed in the course by doing so. Telling the future is not involved, and my syllabus cannot possibly be described as prediction because I am in control of the results. For prediction to be a suitable description, I would have to have no role in causation. That is, if I can make something happen, then it would be inaccurate to say that I predicted it…
God decrees the course of history; he does not predict the future.”

Walton explains that classical prophets of the Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible deliver messages that fall into four categories—indictment, judgment, instruction, and/or aftermath. When reading these works we need to consider what the message meant to their intended audiences, rather than attempt to extrapolate a distant future “fulfillment.” Addressing how Isaiah’s audience may have understood his message about the Suffering Servant:

“However, remembering that the New Testament never refers back to Isaiah 53:6 being fulfilled in Jesus, do we have reason to think that when Isaiah wrote this servant song, he was describing Jesus on the cross? That is, is that inherent in Isaiah's message? If not, then what would Isaiah's audience have understood about the message?
“I have developed elsewhere the idea that Isaiah is tapping into an Assyrian practice well known at his time, the ritual of the substitute king. In brief, this ritual is used when an omen (usually a lunar eclipse) has been interpreted as suggesting that the king's life is in danger--the gods intend to punish him for some undetermined offense. In an attempt to avert the portended disaster, the king divests himself of his crown and robes, symbolically abdicates the throne, and goes into hiding. A substitute is chosen to take his place generally someone from the dregs of society. The substitute is given a queen consort and for up to three months performs the ritual duties of the king (though he is not involved in making any real policy decisions). If after that amount of time the substitute does not die, he and his queen are put to death. They are given a royal burial, after which it is determined that the anger of the gods has been appeased. As the texts indicate, he has died for the sins of the people, for which the king is held responsible. Furthermore, we find that these events are, on one occasion, supported by prophetic oracles.
“Isaiah is using this familiar imagery for the suffering servant, his intentions are recognizable even as they are counterintuitive. In his imagery, though the servant is despised, he actually provides a picture of what the true king should be like giving up his life for the offense of the people. This king is a better one than the king who goes into hiding. Isaiah is therefore giving a new image of what ideal kingship should be—a servant sacrificing for his people. This would have been a radically new idea to the audience of Isaiah, yet an understandable and meaningful one.”
[p 94-5]


Walton cautions today’s Christians who may attempt to use Bible prophecy and apocalyptic writings to predict specific details about the end times:

“In contrast to popular perception, the shape of the end times is beyond our reach and above our paygrade. Eschatology therefore provides us with a current objective to live as God's people in a troubled world. It also provides us with an impetus to do so—the hope that we have in God's kingdom and Christ's eternal reign. The focus of our eschatology is therefore easy enough: God's kingdom will come, and it will feature Jesus, the risen Savior and the reigning King-Immanuel and Messiah…It has no need for timelines or interpretation of symbols, and it is not about us going to heaven but about heaven coming to earth.”
[p 120]


From the conclusion:

“Barton finds four different approaches to prophecy taken in Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament:
1. as offering ethical models of behavior (in Judaism, known as halakah)
2. as offering predictions of God's ultimate intervention to bring about the end of history and entry into the eschaton
3. as offering secret information into the mysteries of the nature of God (speculative theology)
4. as offering insight into God's plans for human history”
[p 159]

The overall purpose of this book is to persuade Christians that the most appropriate view is option #4.


Conrade wrote a great summary and review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Conrade Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

What comes to mind when we hear the words, "prophets," "prophecies," and "prophetic word?" For many, prophets are seen as "predictors" of the future, and "prophecies" are like future events waiting to be fulfilled. Such an understanding has unfortunately crippled the original meaning of what biblical prophecies mean. Calling this situation a "lost world of the prophets," esteemed author-professor John Walton helps us to recover the original meaning according to the Bible and to rediscover a deeper understanding of the different types and forms of prophecies. The author laments how prophetic books have been misunderstood by so many people. The "potential misuse" includes the unhealthy focus on end times (eschatology) and the use of prophetic texts merely to prove Jesus' deity (apologetics). He says that both of these are paths toward "fulfillment" theology. Using "cultural rivers" as a metaphor, he reminds us that if we want to understand the biblical prophecies, we need to soak ourselves in the biblical cultural river. At the same time, we need to avoid superimposing our modern cultural rivers on the Bible. This book is essentially about helping us swim and rediscover the lost world of the prophets. Walton guides us through five parts, each part leading us through the history, the process, and the ways to interpret the events based on the original authorial intent. The whole process is detailed and informative. Each part delineates various aspects of understanding the ancient cultural rivers. Using sixteen propositions as titles, Walton supports each proposition with examples and alternative readings.

Part One kicks off with a preamble about prophecies and what the ancient cultural rivers looked like. During that time, divination is a common method of communication between the natural world and the supernatural domain. Walton asserts that prophecy is a subset of divination (P1), meaning they were generally concerned about the present and immediate future rather than the distant future. He then compares and contrasts the differences between various prophecies in the Ancient Near East and ancient Israel (P2). Both have similarities in terms of commonality and continuities. There is however some Israelite distinctiveness, namely the volume, the relationship between kings and prophets, and the place of the covenant. The most distinct difference is the context of the covenant. Part Two looks at the institutions of prophecy with a focus on prophets. He claims that prophets of old were spokespeople of God rather than predictors of the future (P3). It is another way of saying prophets were forth-tellers rather than foretellers. Old Testament Prophecy is also something that is developing rather than a massive revelation of future events (P4). Then there is the relationship of OT Prophecy to the covenant (P5). In times of crisis, prophecies were used as spiritual guidance for the people of Israel and sometimes other nations. Walton then distinguishes the different shapes of OT prophecies and their uniqueness from times beyond the Old Testament era (P6). He lists 8 different categories of prophetic activities ranging from preclassical prophets to those in the New Testament Church. Part Three
examines the prophetic literature, the literary genres, the types of authors, and who the prophecies were for. Walton then proposes that to be better-informed readers of prophecies, we must recognize the different categories of prophetic messages (P7). He gives us four types: Indictment, Judgment, Instruction, and Aftermath. He also tells us that prophets themselves were typically not authors (P8). For a decent authorship, they will need some strategic stages to move from word to book. This opens the door to the possibility that even when certain prophets have books named after them, there is a possibility that the original writers might be anonymous scribes. About who the audience(s) were, Walton asserts that the audience(s) of the prophetic books were not necessarily the audience of the prophet(s) (P9). This helps in understanding the nuances of each prophecy and seeing the bigger picture from God's perspective. Part Four delves into methodological and interpretive issues. Walton moves to distinguish prophecies between message from fulfillment (P10). This helps us maintain two sets of lenses whenever we read prophetic literature. At the same time, we avoid interpreting prophecy merely in terms of fulfillment, but more importantly, to see them as a proclamation of God's Truth, plans, and purposes. Even among fulfillment interpretations, Walter also suggests that there are many different "oblique trajectories" (P11) which reminds us not to make quick conclusions about any one trajectory. Moving to the New Testament, Walter shows us how the NT uses OT prophecy more as fulfillment rather than a message (P12). One reason is how Jesus frequently uses himself as the fulfillment of OT texts. He reminds us not to be overly focused on future fulfillment to the point of forgetting how it reveals the Person of God (P13). Part Five looks at the apocalyptic nature of prophecies. A key point is to distinguish apocalyptic literature from classical prophecy (P14). Another is to understand that visions are not the message but the "occasion" for the message (P15). After distinguishing OT and NT interpretations of prophecy, Walter comes back to the common point of principles. As far as apocalyptic literature is concerned, both NT and OT share common principles, especially about God's plans and purposes. Walter then concludes with a helpful reading strategy.

My Thoughts
===============
Let me share three thoughts about this book. First, Walter has highlighted the importance of understanding authorial intent rather than reader-centered interpretation. Our evangelical tendencies of emphasizing New Testament fulfillment in Christ might have derailed a better appreciation of Old Testament prophecies. For too long, modern readers have emphasized fulfillment, and future predictions as the way to understand biblical prophecies. Here, we learn to nuance the interpretation through many different ways. From the understanding of cultural rivers to the different types of prophecies, we learn to read prophecies in their original contexts, something that not many of us are familiar with. He is not telling us to abandon our regular modes of fulfillment interpretation. Rather, he is reminding us that there is more than one way to understand prophecy. When studying the Bible in context, we should adopt exegesis (reading out of the texts) instead of eisegesis (reading into) of the texts. In the same manner, we should learn authorial intent over reader-centered intent.

Secondly, this is a wonderful box of tools to understand and interpret prophecies. If all we have is a hammer, then everything would look to us like a nail. In this book, Walter equips us with many different tools for reading biblical prophecies. His sixteen propositions should position us toward a more humble and open attitude when it comes to prophecies. Even though some readers might push back against specific propositions, one thing that we can agree on is that nuancing is needed as far as biblical interpretation is concerned. God's plans and purposes often have a multidimensional and multi-perspectival pattern. The more angles we can see, the better and more holistic our understanding.

Finally, this is one of the best books about understanding biblical prophecies. Hopefully, with this renewed and refreshed look at prophecies, more people will be able to approach the prophets and the prophetical books with enthusiasm. If there is one book that we need to read before approaching any prophet or prophecy, this is it!

John H. Walton (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. Previously he was professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Some of his books include Ancient Near Eastern Thought Essential Bible Companion), Old Testament Today (with Andrew Hill), Genesis NIV Application Commentary and IVP Bible Background Commentary (with Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas).

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Peter Helm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to prophecy in general.

John Walton dives into backgrounds surrounding biblical prophecy.

He argues for an approach that very distinct from popular evangelical interpretation of prophecy, especially biblical prophecy. He entertains this approach all while remaining faithful to general evangelical convictions such as the inspiration of the Bible as authoritative Scripture. Nor does he simply retreat to general platitudes about prophecy and the future.

He argues that prophecy should be conceived of in layers of message and fulfillment. Message as pertaining to the prophet and his contemporary audience. Fulfillment in terms of reception of this prophecy. He also adopts a theory of composition that includes the prophecy as orally giving the prophecy, but giving the transcription, compiling, and stylization to later inspired writers.

His attempt to understand biblical prophecy is compelling and may offer the church a valid way of approaching these difficult books.

In terms of my own personal views, I tend to lean toward his approach while respecting those of other persuasions.

[BJ Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lost World of the Prophets is an academic examination of the prophets of the Old Testament. In this book, Walton examines questions like, "Who were the prophets? What was their message? And how did they convey it?" He does this by breaking the topic into five different parts: The Ancient Near East, The Institution, Their Literature, Interpretive Issues, and Apocalyptic Prophesy.

In the first part, Walton demonstrates that prophesy is actually a subset of divination. There were different ways by which God (or the gods) revealed their will to people. Among these are casting lots, the Urim and Thummim, examining entrails, etc. Walton argues that prophecy is one subset of the many ways God spoke to His people in ancient times. In this section, he also shows that while there are some similarities between Hebrew prophets and their neighbors, the differences are great enough to view the biblical prophets as a uniquely Hebrew institution.

The second part examines this institution. Walton claims that their prophesy was not about predicting the future but rather presenting a specific message from God to His people. A very small minority of the time, this message would include predictions of the future and even here they are usually avoidable warnings. Also, he shows that we cannot view all the prophets as one monolithic group. Samuel is not like Isaiah who is not like Daniel who is not like Habakkuk. In content, style, and methodology the prophets changed and evolved over time.

The third part examines the literature of the prophets (mainly Isaiah through Malachi in our Bibles). Walton argues that the prophets were not primarily authors and most of what was written was recorded either by themselves or others at a later point than when the messages were initially shared. With that in mind, the implied audience of the prophetic books is not necessarily the intended audience of the initial prophecy.

The fourth and fifth parts both look at specific interpretive issues, first in prophecy as a whole and then in apocalyptic literature specifically. Although the book is primarily about OT prophets, there is a concluding chapter examining Revelation and the way it uses OT symbolism and imagery. By recognizing this use, we can better understand the message John is sharing.

While I enjoyed the book, it is too academic to ever be well-received at a popular level. Also, I had minor disagreements both on how NT authors used OT prophesies and on how OT prophesy might still be applicable for us today. That said, I doubt anyone could ever write a book on prophesy at any level without most people having at least some disagreements here and there. That is just the nature of the beast.

Thank you NetGalley and Intervarsity Press for giving me an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. As much as possible I have attempted not to allow this to influence my rating or the content of this review.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Lost World of the Prophets" by John H. Walton is a thought-provoking exploration that challenges traditional interpretations of the oft neglected and oft misunderstood mouthpieces of God. Walton, a respected Old Testament scholar, brings a fresh perspective to the prophets.

The central premise of Walton's argument revolves around the cultural and historical context of the ancient Near East, asserting that the prophet was not a predictor of the future primarily but a spokesperson for God, prophecy was not monolithic but developing and that the prophets are champions of the covenant in times of crisis. it.

One of the strengths of Walton's approach is his emphasis on understanding the text within its cultural framework. He delves into the linguistic nuances of the Hebrew language to elucidate the original intent behind prophetic utterances. By examining the language and cultural context, Walton challenges readers to reconsider common assumptions and interpretations, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of the prophets and the Israel they served.

Walton's scholarly insights are accessible to a wide audience, making the book valuable for both theologians and lay readers interested in reconciling the modern-day notion of prophets and prophecy with the contemporary application of biblical ANE truths.

While some readers may find Walton's approach challenging or even controversial, "The Lost World of the prophets" serves as an invitation to engage in a thoughtful reevaluation of deeply ingrained beliefs. The book encourages a richer, more contextual understanding of the latter books of the OT.

[Christina Bohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walton convincingly debunks many of the (unfortunately) popular misconceptions that plague biblical prophecy, especially in the Hebrew Bible. Over and over again he demonstrates that the prophetic messages were speaking to their present context, and were constantly repackaged (NOT reinterpreted) for the subsequent faith communities. A particular strong area of this book was the explanation for how the NT uses the OT. He gave some helpful examples, such as the context of Bethlehem in Micah and the Immanuel passages in Isaiah.

This book was very introductory, but that is not a strike against Walton; I think that, given the fact that there are no other introductory books like this one out there, it is a strike against how misunderstood and abused this part of Scripture often is. I greatly appreciated Walton's arguments to faithfully read these voices in the context of the ancient world, although I found myself disagreeing with several interpretive options he proposed (but wasn't dogmatic about) in order to appeal to a more traditional audience. For example, the consensus among Isaiah scholars is that the second half of the book was written not by Isaiah, but much later writers/editors... Oswalt is an outlier.

Nevertheless, I will recommend this to my freshman students and am sure to reference it for the very helpful analogies Walton makes throughout (such as thinking of the prophets' messages that address the future as a "syllabus").

Recommended reading on the prophets: The Prophetic Imagination by Brueggemann and You Are My People by Stulman and Kim.

[Jared Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One the best Lost World books, imo. Didn’t agree with Walton on every last detail; but I agreed with each of the major propositions, and I found it especially relevant to the church today. The book deals more with the nature and proper interpretation of prophecy than it does the content of the prophetic messages. So if you’re looking for the latter, you may be disappointed; but if you’re looking for the former, this is an outstanding primer. Would make a great intro to prophets for an undergrad course. Could also provide useful material for a college/adult level Bible class at church.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars. Very stimulating and, like all the Lost World series, forces the reader to think deeply. I’ll have to process the contents with more deliberate effort over the months ahead.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: How understanding the ancient Near East context of the prophets can shed light on their message for us.

There is good reason to take prophecy seriously and seek to understand it. Prophets often prefaced their words with “thus saith the Lord” or “this is the word of the Lord.” We wonder, is there a message for us to heed, trust, and obey? Unfortunately, this instinct can go awry when we fail to understand the primary role of the prophet, the nature of prophetic literature, and its theological significance then and now. In The Lost World of the Prophets, John H. Walton, as he has done with other “Lost World” books, takes us back to the ancient Near East backgrounds of prophetic and apocalyptic literature. Building on this background, he helps us understand the message of the prophets and its relevance to us.

As in other works in this series, Walton unpacks the lost world of the prophets through a series of propositions. Perhaps the simplest way to summarize the content of this work is to list these propositions as Walton outlines them in the book:

Part 1: Ancient Near East
1: Prophecy Is a Subset of Divination
2: Prophets and Prophecy in the ANE Manifest Similarities and Differences When Compared to Israel

Part 2: Institution
3: A Prophet Is a Spokesperson for God, Not a Predictor of the Future
4: Prophecy in the OT Is Not Monolithic but Developing
5: The Classical Prophets Are Champions of the Covenant in Times of Crisis
6: Prophecy Takes a Variety of Different Shapes After the Old Testament

Part 3: Literature
7: Recognition of the Categories of Prophetic Message Help Us Be More Informed Readers
8: Prophets Were Typically Not Authors
9: The Implied Audience of the Prophetic Books Is Not Necessarily the Audience of the Prophet

Part 4: Methodological and Interpretive Issues
10: Distinction Between Message and Fulfillment Provides Clear Understanding of Prophetic Literature
11: Fulfillment Follows Oblique Trajectories
12: The NT Use of OT Prophecy Focuses on Fulfillment, Not Message
13: Prophecy Carries Important Implications for Understanding God and the Future, but Our Ability to Forge a Detailed Eschatology with Confidence Is Limited

Part 5: Apocalyptic
14: Apocalyptic Prophecy Should Be Differentiated from Classical Prophecy
15: In Apocalyptic Literature, Visions Are Not the Message but the Occasion for the Message
16: New Testament Apocalyptic Operates by the Same Principles as Old Testament Apocalyptic

There were several aspects of Walton’s treatment that I felt were of great importance. Firstly, he focuses on prophets as spokespersons for God rather than predictors of the future. When we focus on the latter, we miss the strong focus on the warnings the prophets brought as God’s people violated his commands.

Secondly, the focus of their condemnations was how they breached God’s covenant relationship with them. The primary message of the prophets was to warn of God’s impending judgment because the people had not kept faith with God.

Thirdly, Walton emphasizes that the prophetic books as we have them reflect a process from initial message to transcription to compilation that may have involved more than one person over a period of time. Likewise, the original audience of the prophet may not be the audience of the prophetic book.

Fourthly, Walton’s distinction between message and fulfillment is so valuable when considering New Testament “fulfillments” that seem at variance with the plain meaning of the original message. Specifically, he pleads the authority of the New Testament interpreters and the fact that the fulfillments are things that have occurred. On the same basis, he argues against attempts to predict particular fulfillments of eschatological passages that have not occurred. We, unlike the apostolic witnesses, are not inspired. Instead, we should focus on the broad message of God’s purposes and promises to those who persevere through suffering.

Fifthly, I will just note the very helpful distinction Walton draws between prophetic and apocalyptic writings, summarized in the table on p. 130. I found particularly intriguing the distinction of prophecy originating as spoken word whereas apocalyptic is literature-based.

Finally, and perhaps most significant for our reading, Walton provides a rubric of four types of messages we will encounter in prophecy: indictment, judgement, instruction, and aftermath. In his conclusion, he offers guidance about how we might appropriate each in our present day.

As in other contributions to this series, Walton offers clear and concise explanations that summarizes a vast amount of recent scholarship for the serious lay student of scripture. in notes and recommended further reading, he points the interested reader to more in-depth scholarship. Finally, he gently corrects our misreading of prophetic and apocalyptic literature, encouraging us to keep the main thing the main thing, and not to lose ourselves in speculative schemes.

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Scott Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walton comprehensively lays out the genres of prophetic writing and how we should read them. For example, not all prophecy is apocalyptic or future-telling or should be read that way. Most often prophecy is the explicit expression from a deity—in this case the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He also covers the difficulties of scriptural prophecy that doesn’t seem to have occurred in the descriptive way that is expressed. However, he does compare the Hebraic prophetic writings to extant other Middle Eastern prophecies. This is enlightening to why and how well the Hebrews maintained their writings. It’s especially interesting that what survived in the Hebrew Scriptures, contrary to other practices, are not often complimentary to the king or priests God addresses. The author of this book covers the various forms and uses of prophecy.

This is not a commentary on prophetic scriptures but gives us the framework on how to understand the context and possible interpretations. Interestingly, for Christians, Walton covers key prophetic passages in the Greek scriptures (New Testament): Matthew 24-25 and Revelation. He does this to illustrate his principles for approaching prophecy and how they can/should be used throughout the Bible.

Though this author doesn’t address this, the writing of Jonathan Cahn in the “The Harbinger” is a poor interpretation of Hebrew prophecies directed at Israel. Cahn unadvisedly assumes they can be used as a prophecy for the United States in light of the events of 9/11/01. Walton would caution taking a word directed at one favored nation to another that may or may not be favored; likewise, taking a word directed at an unfavored nation cannot be applied to a favored nation. We might ask only how we might be guilty of similar practices as a nation as Israel, if we want to heed the indictments, judgments and instructions given to His people. Cahn overlooked that the USA is more like the Roman Empire or Egypt (where oppressed believers emigrated to escape persecution in their home country) than Israel. Walton’s treatise here helps us understand other books that claim to interpret prophecies.

I laughed when I read one of Walton’s subheadings: “Living in the End Times (Everyone Believes They Are, and That is Okay)”

Next time I have to teach a prophetic passage, or a passage that refers to earlier verses because the scripture writer believes it’s been fulfilled contemporaneously, I will refer to Walton’s book for guidance.

[Jeannine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost World of the Prophets is the most recent of seven volumes in The Lost World Series by John H. Walton a well renowned Old Testament Scholar. This volume is not intended to be a commentary of the prophetic literature rather it provides framework to keep in mind while reading these books. In this volume the author sets forth sixteen propositions for understanding the prophets and prophetic literature and one at a time he provides substantive material for each of the proposition. A look at the propositions provides an overview of what is covered in this volume.
• 1: Prophecy Is a Subset of Divination
• 2: Prophets and Prophecy in the ANE Manifest Similarities and Differences When Compared to Israel
• 3: A Prophet Is a Spokesperson for God, Not a Predictor of the Future
• 4: Prophecy in the OT Is Not Monolithic but Developing
• 5: The Classical Prophets Are Champions of the Covenant in Times of Crisis
• 6: Prophecy Takes a Variety of Different Shapes After the Old Testament
• 7: Recognition of the Categories of Prophetic Message Help Us Be More Informed Readers
• 8: Prophets Were Typically Not Authors
• 9: The Implied Audience of the Prophetic Books Is Not Necessarily the Audience of the Prophet
• 10: Distinction Between Message and Fulfillment Provides Clear Understanding of Prophetic Literature
• 11: Fulfillment Follows Oblique Trajectories
• 12: The NT Use of OT Prophecy Focuses on Fulfillment, Not Message
• 13: Prophecy Carries Important Implications for Understanding God and the Future, but Our Ability to Forge a Detailed Eschatology with Confidence Is Limited
• 13: Apocalyptic Prophecy Should Be Differentiated from Classical Prophecy
• 15: In Apocalyptic Literature, Visions Are Not the Message but the Occasion for the Message
• 16: New Testament Apocalyptic Operates by the Same Principles as Old Testament Apocalyptic
The volume overall strikes a nice balance between a scholarly work with attendant citations and a book that the average reader can enjoy without getting lost.

#TheLostWorldoftheProphets #NetGalley.

[McHess]

Really good. The other books in the Lost World series have encouraged me to consider different purposes the authors had to my own assumptions and provided a lot of the information from the surrounding "cultural river" to read in a more informed way.

This book was, in many ways, much more challenging. In some ways, there wasn't a lot that was earth-shattering. However, when Walton teased apart authority, author's purpose, and meaning in context and then in relation to the future from that time, there is a lot to consider. I'm left pondering how much more layered prophecy and fulfillment are than we often think. I was also challenged to consider what a prophet really is and what prophecy is. As much as I would have agreed in theory before reading this book that biblical prophecy is NOT telling the future, it's hard to fully wash that out of the modern western cultural mind. Oedipus is our touchstone for treating prophecy more than Isaiah.

The re-centering is good: Prophets are those who receive a message from God for someone, especially His people, communicating God's plans and purposes in relationship with His people. It is a window into the heart, mind, and trajectory of God. This, then, invites a response: So what are you going to do now that you've received this message? How might your response affect the fulfillment?

I do not come from a dispensational framework, so that helped significantly with these claims. But now I'm reflecting on what it means that Christ fulfilled all the scriptures, not just prophecy understood to be messianic beforehand. I'm also working through how the meaning of a prophecy at the time given can have authority to us as the Word of God delivered while also being borne out through the manifold plans of God once, twice, or in uncountable ways.

These are fruitful things to ponder.

[Vince LoPrinzi]

The Lost World of:
The Prophets
3.2/10
(195 pages)

John Walton reframes the mind of the reader on the prophets using his famous cultural stream perspective. He spends significant time on distinguishing prophetic types. Thankfully, His redefinition of fulfillment is woven through all 16 propositions as it’s the strongest part of this book. Propositions 8-12 are delicately established on a strong,nearly unarguable, foundation in the first half of the book. His apocalyptic perspective is challenging to some, but old hat for most scholars (seemingly his intended audience).

➕Challenging to the mainstream
➕New understanding of dogmatic words
➕/➖Biblical theory over systematic theory
➕/➖sweeping views over Exegesis
➕/➖ Scholarly
➕/➖ Written for a niche audience


In my opinion, Walton oversaturated very good work by overly committing to backing his work for fear of being ostracized. Startlingly close to a “yes man” book for such a respected scholar as Walton. There are only a few people I would ever recommend TLWOTP to and even those I would recommend only propositions 8-12, which I did find extremely enlightening.

[Tommy-Lee Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to interpreting and understanding the prophetic literature of the Bible. One of Walton's strengths is that he divides his books into a series of propositions, taking one chapter to explain and defend each proposition. Walton does an excellent job of helping the reader see Old Testament prophecy within the cultural context of the Ancient Near East. He demonstrates both similarities and differences between prophecy in Israel versus that of its neighbors. I especially enjoyed his discussion on the different categories of prophecy and his methodology for applying Old Testament prophecy to the modern day. He argues against seeing prophecy as a sort of detailed "road map" to all future events and explains how symbols in scripture should be interpreted. I do not agree with all of Walton's views or conclusions as laid out in this book, but he communicates them adequately and gives the reader good food for thought.

[Tommy-Lee Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to interpreting and understanding the prophetic literature of the Bible. One of Walton's strengths is that he divides his books into a series of propositions, taking one chapter to explain and defend each proposition. Walton does an excellent job of helping the reader see Old Testament prophecy within the cultural context of the Ancient Near East. He demonstrates both similarities and differences between prophecy in Israel versus that of its neighbors. I especially enjoyed his discussion on the different categories of prophecy and his methodology for applying Old Testament prophecy to the modern day. He argues against seeing prophecy as a sort of detailed "road map" to all future events and explains how symbols in scripture should be interpreted. I do not agree with all of Walton's views or conclusions as laid out in this book, but he communicates them adequately and gives the reader good food for thought.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

4.5 stars - I loved it! Will re-read.

This was fantastic! I was also reading WISDOM FOR FAITHFUL READING at the same time, and that worked well as this was my first Lost World book. I enjoyed seeing the general principles from WISDOM applied to the prophets in this book.

This is the sort of book I will pour over and write in, so I am ordering a print copy immediately. I would read more books in this series. Walton is a favorite of mine anyway, and his engaging writing style is one of the reasons. I think these would be fascinating books to use in the classroom, but the writing did not feel "academic" as I was reading. It was fascinating and approachable all the way through. Highly recommend.

[Noah Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and thought provoking read on understanding the original intent of prophetic and apocalyptic literature.

Our modern day interpretations miss so much of what the biblical authors intend, and put so much of the meaning and historical significance at risk.

I found this book challenging as it broke down many ideas I had about what biblical prophecy is and is about, but it also affirmed some, and replaced those others with more accurate and helpful ones.

I picked up this book because as a pastor and preacher I have felt least equipped in preaching, teaching, and applying prophetic and apocalyptic literature. They are the genres I have felt most lost in as a Bible reader and teacher.

I feel like this book certainly helped with that. I also feel that it provoked even more questions, which is great as it inspires further study for me!

[Wilmer Blijdorp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walton schrijft zoals altijd helder en puntig met in elk hoofdstuk een stelling die hij onderbouwt. En het geheel van die stellingen vormt een samenhangend betoog. In dit geval is dat een uitstekende inleiding in het lezen van profetische teksten. Heel interessant is zijn schets van de ontwikkeling van profetie in het OT. Mooi ook hoe hij de profetie van Israël typeert als verbonds profetie en daarmee onderscheidend van profetie in de omringende culturen. Tot slot: zijn gemotiveerde verzet tegen allerlei eind tijd invullingen vanuit profetie, waarbij teksten geplukt worden om rechtstreeks te spreken voor vandaag is in sommige christelijke kringen heel erg nodig. De vraag is alleen of Walton daar gelezen wordt.

[Aaron Carlberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read every single one of Walton's books in "The Lost World" series. I can honestly say that this one is probably the clearest and most focused so far. There are many places in some of his other books that I may not agree with some of Walton's conclusions, but he does have a way of being gracious even where there are disagreements.

People sometimes don't understand that you can give a 5 star review and not agree with everything in a book. 5 stars comes back to his direction and clear line of thought to come to his position throughout the book. He did a good job (plus I have a couple of friends who had Temper Longman as their professor and they say the same thing about him).

[Kirsten Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I've now listened through this twice, and I found some aspects helpful, but I'm not sold on the author's POV on everything. Most helpful is the idea that the prophets aren't "predicting the future" even when they foretell future events. God is in control, and has a plan. Walton gives the analogy of a professor writing a syllabus for a class. The professor is not "predicting the future" when he writes on the syllabus that there will be a test on March 16th. The professor has made a plan, and he is (within reason) in control of the execution of that plan. God is also the controlling force executing a plan, which he in some case enables the prophets to share aspects of.

[Vanda Chittenden · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Lost World of the Prophets" by John H. Walton is an insightful journey into the world of prophetic literature. Walton skillfully navigates cultural nuances, offering readers a deeper understanding of ancient texts. His scholarly approach adds value, providing fresh perspectives without overwhelming complexity. This book serves as a valuable resource for those keen on exploring the profound layers of prophetic writings. Overall, a commendable work that bridges the gap between modern readers and the prophetic voices of the past.
Pub Date: 27 Feb 2024
#TheLostWorldoftheProphets #NetGalley

[Chris Hubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Walton continues his “Lost World” series with a focus on the Old Testament Prophets. The book is structured as a series of propositions, in each of which Walton advocates for a way we should think about Biblical prophecy. Readable even for laypeople, Walton is clearly trying to steer his audience away from a fundamentalist literalist reading, from a reading that directly ties all OT prophecies to much later fulfillments, and instead to understand prophecy as bringing a message from God that may have various interpretations and applications over time. Well worth a read.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

More academic than many books I've read lately, but tempered with practical insights on how to approach prophecy in the Bible: within its context, not future-telling but calling us to God. At times, I felt his format of different propositions led to some repetition, and because of the scholarly tone, this wasn't a quick read. But I definitely recommend it as a counter to authors who try to sensationalize the prophetic writings in the Bible.
Review based on an eARC received through NetGalley.

[Adam Bloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a good book for discussing biblical prophecy, but I don't think it was great. It felt like other scholars' materials forced into a Lost World mold, with too much "here's what this other author says" instead of "this is the reality of." Prophecy is a touchy subject, and the overall ideas of this book are sound (and you could do much worse than this book!), but I don't feel like this book hit the mark (although it's hard to put my finger on exactly why). If I recommend the book to others, I'd probably suggest skipping straight to the portion on apocalyptic literature.

[Jamin Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there was one book I wanted to recommend to the general church audience on Biblical prophecy, this would be the one. As usual, John Walton writes powerfully for both scholars and laypeople alike, and he does a terrific job of setting the record straight on what prophecy is and isn’t. He also helps his readers get a better grip on how to read books that fall into the apocalyptic genre, which is very needed for modern Christians. I think this book is important for all Christians to read.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very approachable read and recommend it to anyone who interested in biblical prophecy. His explanations make so much more sense than the non-educated retort “because the Bible says so” that I heard so much while growing up in a super-fundamentalist dispensational church. There is so much balance and nuance. I look forward to reading the other books in the “Lost Series”.

Thanks to NetGalley and IVP Academic for an ARC of this book.

[Dennis Gunnarson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for modern religionists. Mr Walton does a great job of detailing the history of prophecy as it changed from the general culture role of speaking for the gods, to Israel’s call to return to covenant, to the apocalyptic focus on redeeming all of creation. Mr Walton offers amazing insight into how prophecy should be used and why it matters how we use it.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid and super-easy to read. Contains some great insights, especially concerning the relationship between the prophets and Israel's covenant with God, but much of it could have been unpacked quite a bit more. Ultimately, somewhere in the middle-of-the-pack with the Lost World Series as a whole.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/sFd7SYYfn7E

[Andy Gore · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Walton's latest books, you can sense the reasons why he's written the book and those with whom he's arguing. This book is no different, but the impact of this background is far less than in other books. Lots of very thought provoking points and conclusions particularly when dealing with the apocalyptic.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to current evangelical research on the prophets. At times it could be strengthened by more interactions with more scholars. This would I propose make the book feel less like a series of class lectures put into a book format providing John Walton's takes on various issues. Overall a great book to start the conversation.