When G-d appeared to a prophet and spoke with him, He charged him with a message to convey to the nation. Above all, the mission of the prophet is to rebuke the public and urge them to improve their ways. The prophet stresses to his listeners how dire will be the consequences of their actions if they fail to heed G-d's warnings. At the same time, he encourages them to mend their ways and describes the blessings that repentance will bring them. The evil decrees will be rescinded and the calamities described in their prophecies will not take place. The prophet delivers G-d's message to the nation just as G-d gave it to him. Its content is not always clear at the time. For instance, when G-d made a covenant with our forefather Abraham, He declared that Abraham's descendants would be a “stranger in a land that is not theirs, and they shall serve them and they will afflict them for four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13). At the time, it was not clear to Abraham where his descendants would be enslaved, nor when the period of four hundred years would commence. Neither did he know whether they would be enslaved to one single nation or to a variety of peoples in different locations. It was only four hundred years later, at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, that all the questions were answered. This was how G-d wanted the prophecy about the enslavement to be understood. In contrast, there are times when the prophecy is given over in minute detail, leaving no doubts. Even when the prophet was not given full details, the Jewish People were steadfast in their faith that the day would come when everything would be clear. When that time comes, we will have an explanation for all that takes place, and all that has taken place, in the history of the world. At that time, all mankind will be cognizant of the profound intricacy and precision with which the Creator conducted His world and manipulated events, so that the Jewish People might achieve their mission in this world. G-d's Name will be sanctified when His creatures reach new heights of appreciation for His greatness. Many prophecies recorded in the Bible have yet to be fulfilled. In particular, the predictions concerning the final era of the Jewish People's role in history, as “a light unto the nations”, are yet to be realized. Even the despicable Bilaam prophesied about this period: “I see it, and it is not now; I perceive it, but not in the near future. A star shall go forth from Jacob, and a staff shall arise in Israel… but Israel shall be triumphant” (Numbers 24:17). We have not yet been privileged to witness the fulfillment of the end of days as visualized by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 2:2): “It will happen in the end of days: The mountain of the L-rd will be established on the peak of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it...” Just as we see that the predictions made thousands of years ago have come true, so too will these visions of the future redemption become a reality when Heaven deems that the time has come. The fact that so many prophecies have already become a reality leads us to some interesting conclusions. We have seen that predictions of most unlikely events did indeed come about, despite the fact that no human being could have foreseen these developments. Well in advance of these happenings – at times, thousands of years beforehand – G-d told His People, through the words of His prophets, just what would happen centuries later.No human mind could have foreseen these events; only a prophet sent by the Creator could have made so many predictions, and with such accuracy, so far in advance. These observations re-enforce our conviction that, in the words of the Rambam, (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon): “The Creator, blessed is His Name, creates and guides all of His creatures, and He alone made, makes, and will make everything.” (From Maimonides' Thirteen Principles of Faith.) He who controls the universe also foresees everything that will take place in it. Moreover, the fact that so many of the words of the prophets have come true, time and again, re-enforces our belief that “It is the Creator of the Universe who grants man prophecy, and that all the words of the prophets are true.”The prophets are G-d's agents; they reveal to us the information give to them by G-d to pass on to us. Likewise, the observation that so many prophecies have already been fulfilled re-enforces our conviction that not only the punishments and their consequences, but also the blessings will become a reality, with untold rejoicing and relief. Every word of the prophets is true and valid. Just as the curses came about, so, too, will all the blessings listed in the Torah. In particular, we await the fulfillment of the predictions of the arrival of the mashiach (messiah) and the ultimate redemption. In the words of Maimonides: “I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the mashiach, and even though he may tarry, I nonetheless await him every day.”