As we study the "Book of the Twelve" we will be stirred by the clarion sound of tumpets of war and by the measured tramp of marching feet. We will see great empires rise and fall. We will find ourselves in towns, villages, and world capitals, on mountaintops, and out in the raging deep. We will stand in busy markets and wilderness wastes; we will pause alongside temples and tombs. We will hear the shrill cry of the huckster, the siren voice of the harlot, the song of the drunkard, the wrathful voice of the king, the wail of the widow, the desolate sobs of the orphan, the despairing cry of the captive, the oily voice of the venal magistrate, and the unctuous tones of the apostate priest. We will stand where Eden's garden bloomed and in cities stricken by siege, famine and plague. We will listen to the music of a babbling brook and hear the din of war.

Above the rest we will hear the voice of the living God and the urgent voice of the prophet. We will hear that "more sure word of prophecy" (2 Peter 1:19) — warning, wooing, weeping, welcoming the unborn ages, and saying farewell to the ages being swiftly filed away as history.

The John Phillips Commentary Series is designed to provide pastors, Sunday school teachers, and students of the Scripture with doctrinally sound interpretation that emphasizes the practical application of Bible truth. Working from the familiar King James Version, Dr. Phillips not only provides helpful commentary on the text, but also includes detailed outlines and numerous illustrations and quotations. Anyone wanting to explore the meaning of God's Word in greater depth - for personal spiritual growth or as a resource for preaching and teaching - will welcome the guidance and insights of this respected series.

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John Phillips (1927-2010) served as assistant director of the Moody Correspondence School as well as director of the Emmaus Correspondence School, one of the world's largest Bible correspondence ministries. He also taught in the Moody Evening School and on the Moody Broadcasting radio network.