When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
Matthew 16:13-14

As mentioned last time, God faithfully sent prophets to Israel (northern kingdom).

There were two kinds of Old Testament prophets: writing and speaking. The writing prophets’ prophecies are included in the OT. The writing prophets from Israel were Amos, Hosea, and Jonah. Although Jonah was from Israel in the north, he actually prophesied to the pagan nation of Nineveh—which became Assyria, which eventually overthrew Israel.

The writing prophets had a three-pronged agenda: (1) Call the people to repentance. (2) Warn the people of God’s judgment. (3) Predict the coming of the promised Messiah. The promise of the Messiah was a greatly needed encouragement to the faithful few in Israel.

There were several speaking prophets, but two of the most prominent were Elijah and Elisha.

Elijah was a type of Christ. When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” they replied, “Some say [You are] Elijah.” Elijah was a rugged prophet in the wilderness—clad in a garment of hair, with a leather belt around his waist—who wasn’t afraid to pronounce God’s judgment on erring King Ahab (the worst of the bad kings in Israel).

Elisha was also a type of Christ. Elisha was Elijah’s student and successor. Like Jesus, Elisha performed many miracles (twice as many as his predecessor, Elijah). Like Jesus, Elisha performed many miracles of healing and mercy. As Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes, Elisha multiplied flour and oil. Elisha raised a dead child to life and restored him to his mother; Jesus raised at least three dead people and restored them to their families.

As we read the OT, let us ask God for eyes to see Christ. We will see prefigures, or types of Christ in the prophets, particularly in Elijah and Elisha