The Truth in Print Vol. 27 Issue 3, April 2021
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website
Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Three Stages of the Babylonian Captivity (Part Two)
An End! The Babylonian Captivity
(Part Two: The Third Stage, Focus on Zedekiah)
Eze
7:2 “And you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD to the land of Israel: 'An
end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land.
Eze
7:3 Now the end has come upon you, And I will send My anger against you; I will
judge you according to your ways, And I will repay you for all your
abominations.
What
“End”?
THE 70 YEARS BABYLONIA CAPTIVITY –
THREE STAGES:
§ 605 B.C. First
Stage: ELIAKIM (JEHOIAKIM) – made king by Pharaoh Necho (Egypt) -- became
Nebuchadnezzar’s servant for three years then rebelled -- Daniel and friends
taken. *Ezekiel 18 yrs. old *Pharaoh
Necho was defeated by Babylon in 4th yr. Jehoiakim.
§ 597 B.C. Second Stage: JEHOIACHIN (*JECONIAH, CONIAH)
– son of Eliakim - Ezekiel and 10,000 captives taken.
§ 586 B.C.
Third Stage: ZEDEKIAH (MATTANIAH) – Destruction of Jerusalem, Temple destroyed.
Notes:
The
Divided Kingdom (931 B.C.).
1)
The Northern Kingdom (10 Tribes) God gave to Jeroboam (Capital Samaria) was
taken captive by King Shalmaneser V of Assyria in 722 B.C. * Lasted 209 years).
2) The Southern Kingdom left to Rehoboam,
Solomon’s son, (Benjamin and Judah, capital Jerusalem) would last about 117
years until it is taken captive by Babylon.
Ezekiel
(593-559 B.C.)
WHY
ISRAEL AND JUDAH PROVOKED GOD TO ANGER
·
Jer 32:29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city
shall come and set fire
to this city and burn it, with the houses on
whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to
other gods, to provoke Me to anger;
·
Jer 32:30
because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have
done only evil before Me from their
youth. For the children of Israel have
provoked Me only to
anger with the work of their hands,' says the LORD.
·
Jer 32:31 'For this city has been to Me a
provocation of My anger and My
fury from the day that they built it,
even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face
·
Jer 32:32 because of all the evil of the children of
Israel and the children of
Judah,
which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their
princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem.
TAUGHT
AND HAVE NOT LISTENED TO RECEIVE INSTRUCTION …
·
Jer 32:33 And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though
I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not
listened to receive instruction. ß Pr. 19:27
·
Jer 32:34 But they
set their abominations in the house which is called by My
name, to defile it.
·
Jer 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal
which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom,
to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come
into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.'
Notes:
Pro 19:27 Cease listening to instruction, my son, And
you will stray from the words of knowledge.
ZEDEKIAH
WARNED AND WOULD NOT LISTEN
·
Jeremiah 21:7 And afterward, saith
the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of
Judah,
and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the
pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into
the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge
of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
I’LL
ABANDON YOU, ZEDEKIAH
·
Jer 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten,
they are so evil; surely
thus
saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of
Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land,
and them that dwell in the land of Egypt: ß GOD KNOWS
THE “BAD” AMONG US! (MATT. 7:16)
·
Jer 24:9 And I
will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the
earth for their hurt, to be a reproach
and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
·
Jer 24:10 And
I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among
them, till they be consumed from off
the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
LISTENING
TO LIARS!
·
Chapter 27: God told Judah and the nations to serve Babylon and
remain in
their lands or else be destroyed
(27:8-13).
·
Jer 27:12 I spake also to
Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these
words, saying, Bring your necks under
the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
·
Jer 27:13 Why
will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the
famine, and by the pestilence, as the
LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? ß SERVE BABYLON OR ELSE! (CF. PR. 19:20).
·
Jer 27:14
Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak
unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve
the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. ß Don’t listen to what leads you away
from God’s word (Pr. 19:20).
·
Jer 27:15 For
I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they
prophesy a lie
in my name; that I might drive you
out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. ß THEY BELIEVE THIS INSTEAD!
Notes:
Pro 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That
you may be wise in your latter days.
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR LIVING IN EXILE FOR THOSE TAKEN (JER. 29)
·
Rather than accept God’s word to live in the land of
exile peacefully, and be
blessed, and when 70 years have been
completed for Babylon “I will visit you …to bring you back” (Jer. 29:4-10), Hananiah lied and said:
·
Jer 28:2 “Thus
speaks the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: 'I have
broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
·
Jer 28:3
Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of
the LORD's house, that Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.
·
Jer 28:4 And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim,
king of Judah, with all the captives of
Judah who went to Babylon,' says the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the
king of Babylon.' "
q VESSELS
WERE “GOING TO BABYLON” NOW, NOT COMING FROM! (JER. 27:21-22)
·
Jer 27:21 yes, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel, concerning
the vessels that remain in the house of
the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem:
·
Jer 27:22
‘They shall be carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the
day that I visit them,' says the LORD.
'Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.' "
QUESTIONING
GOD AND THE SIEGE IS HAPPENING “NOW”
·
Jer 32:1 The
word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year
of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was
the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. ß 10TH YEAR THEREFORE CLOSE
TO THE END!
·
Jer 32:2 For then
the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem: and
Jeremiah
the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of
Judah's house. ß THE SIEGE IS HAPPENING NOW!
·
Jer 32:3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up,
saying, Wherefore
dost
thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold,
I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take
it; Jer 32:4
And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the
Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon,
and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; Jer 32:5 And he
shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye
shall not prosper. ß EXAMPLE OF A FOOL’S QUESTION; HAS FORGOTTEN “HOW” GOD
DEALS WITH MAN (PS. 18:25-29).
YOU WILL
GO TO BABYLON!
·
Jer 34:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the
LORD, when
Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were
under his dominion and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and
against all its cities, saying,
·
Jer 34:2 “Thus
says the LORD God of Israel, 'Go and speak to Zedekiah king
of Judah and say to him: "Thus
says the LORD, 'Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of
Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
·
Jer 34:3 'You will not escape from his hand, for you
will surely be captured
and delivered into his hand; and you
will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you face to
face, and you will go to Babylon.'"' ß “…BE
QUICK TO HEAR…” (JA. 1:19-20).
q Fled and was captured then blinded
when he saw him: Jer. 39:5-7 *Killed his sons before his eyes; all the nobles of
Judah; put out his eyes, and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to
Babylon.
“YOU
WILL DIE IN PEACE…”
·
Jer 34:4 “Yet
hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus
says the LORD concerning you, 'You will
not die by the sword.
·
Jer 34:5 'You will die in peace; and as spices were
burned for your fathers,
the former kings who were before you,
so they will burn spices for you; and they will lament for you, "Alas,
lord!"' For I have spoken the word," declares the LORD. ß Incentive for him to hear what
applied at the present to benefit both self and others!
·
Jer 34:6 Then
Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king
of
Judah in Jerusalem Jer 34:7 when the army of the king
of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities
of Judah, that is, Lachish and Azekah, for they alone
remained as fortified cities among the cities of Judah.
COVETOUS,
COVENANT BREAKERS!
At
the time of God’s wrath the people make a covenant to release all Hebrew
slaves, then turn around and took them back – God said all who did would be
killed (Jer. 34:8-20) ß DIDN’T
UNDERSTAND A TIME TO REPENT AND SHARE!
Notes:
·
Rom. 1:31 “covenant breakers” [G802 asunthetos,
adj.]
Thayer
Definition: 2) covenant breaking, faithless ß WE MUST REPENT OF PROMISES WE
MAKE TO GOD THAT WE DIDN’T KEEP!
·
2 Tim. 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He
cannot deny
Himself.”
> “faithless” [G569 apisteō, vb.] Thayer Definition: 1) to betray a trust, be
unfaithful 2) to have no belief, disbelieve
·
2 Tim. 3:3 “irreconcilable” [G786 aspondos] Thayer Definition:
1)
without a treaty or covenant 1a) of things not
mutually agreed upon e.g. abstinences from hostilities 2) that cannot be
persuaded to enter into a covenant, implacable
YOU
THINK THEY’RE GONE BUT I’LL BRING THEM BACK ON YOU!
·
Prior to destruction the Chaldeans lifted the siege
to go fight against Egypt
(Jer.
37).
·
Jer 34:21 'Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I
will give into the hand of
their enemies and into the hand of those
who seek their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which
has gone away from you.
·
Jer 34:22 'Behold, I am going to command,' declares the
LORD, 'and I will
bring them back to this city; and they
will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the
cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'" ß GOD CAN “PURSUE YOU UNTIL YOU
PERISH” (DE. 28:22).
PLEASE
PRAY FOR US JEREMIAH!
·
Jer 37:1 Now
Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon
had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.
·
Jer 37:2 But
neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened
to the words of the LORD which He
spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. ß Pr. 19:27
·
Jer 37:3 Yet
King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and
Zephaniah
the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, "Please pray to the LORD our God on our behalf."
· Jer 37:3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal
the son of Shelemiah, and
Zephaniah
the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the
prophet, saying, "Please pray to the LORD our God on our behalf."
ß THEIR
IDOLS COULD NOT SAVE THEM – THIS FULFILLED, “BUT IN THE TIME OF THEIR TROUBLE
THEY WILL SAY, ‘ARISE AND SAVE US.’…” (JER. 2:26-27)
·
Jer 37:4 Now
Jeremiah was still coming in and going out among the people,
for they had not yet put him in the
prison.
·
Jer 37:5
Meanwhile, Pharaoh's army had set out from Egypt; and when the
Chaldeans
who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted the
siege from Jerusalem.
Notes:
Pro 19:27 Cease listening to instruction, my son, And
you will stray from the words of knowledge.
ZEDEKIAH
“SECRETLY” ASKS IF THERE IS A WORD FROM THE LORD
·
Jer 37:17 Now King
Zedekiah sent and took him out; and in his palace the
king secretly asked him and said,
"Is there a word from the LORD?" And Jeremiah said, "There
is!" Then he said, "You will be given into the hand of the king of
Babylon!" ß SOUND
FAMILIAR!
·
Jeremiah pleads for his life and Zedekiah commits
Jeremiah to the guard
house and he remained there (37:18-21).
ZEDEKIAH
IS ANOTHER PILATE
·
Jer 38:4
Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this
man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this
city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for
this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but
the hurt.
·
Jer 38:5 Then
Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the
king is not he that can do anything
against you. ß SEE WHAT
THOSE WHO LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THINGS “SECRETLY” MIGHT DO!
·
Jer 38:6 Then
took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of
Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the
court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon
there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
DON’T
HIDE ANYTHING FROM ME!
·
Jer 38:14 Then
Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto
him into the third entry that is in
the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a
thing; hide nothing from me.
·
Jer 38:15 Then
Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt
thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? ß ANSWER A FOOL AS HIS FOLLY
DESERVES (PR. 26:5).
·
Jer 38:16 So Zedekiah the king sware
secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the
LORD
liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to
death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
·
Jer 38:17 Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God
of
hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of
Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned
with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: ß DIDN’T
LISTEN AND HIS SONS WERE SLAIN!
·
Jer 38:18 But
if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then
shall this city be given into the hand
of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape
out of their hand. ß FAMILIAR?
THE WORD
OF THE LORD FULFILLED PLUS FURTHER PENALTIES FOR NOT LISTENING!
·
Jer 39:4 And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king
of Judah saw
them, and all the men of war, then they
fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden,
by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.
·
Jer 39:5 But
the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook
Zedekiah
in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land
of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.
·
Jer 39:6 Then
the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah
before
his eyes: also the king of Babylon
slew all the nobles of Judah. ß Further
penalty for not listening!
·
Jer 39:7
Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains,
to carry him to Babylon. ß BLINDED!
·
Jer 39:8 And
the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the
people,
with fire, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem.
BRIEF REMINDERS FROM
PART “ONE”
WHAT DANIEL PRAYED AND
CONFESSED
IN THE FIRST YEAR OF
DARIUS THE MEDE (539-525 B.C.)
THE OATH HAS BEEN
CONFIRMED
• Dan 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and
forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.
• Dan 9:10 We have not
obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before
us by His servants the prophets.
• Dan 9:11
Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey
Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the
servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.
• Dan 9:12
And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our
judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole
heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
THE CURSE AND OATH WRITTEN
BY MOSES
*Moses,
the Wilderness and the Law (Ca. 1445-1405 B.C.)
• The Curse Written in the Law:
* The culmination is written in Lev. 26:27-33.
• The
Oath Written in the Law: De. 4:25-28; in De. 30:18 it is stated with the
curses (De. 27-30).
• Deu 4:25 “When you beget children and grandchildren and
have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the
form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him
to anger,
• Deu 4:26 I call
heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly
perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not
prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.
• Deu 4:27 And the LORD
will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among
the nations where the LORD will drive you.
• Deu 4:28 And there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood
and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
HOW MANY YEARS?
• Moses, the Wilderness and the Law (Ca. 1445-1405
B.C.) *They carried their idols with them (AMOS
5:25-27).
• The Northern Kingdom (10 Tribes) God gave to
Jeroboam (Capital Samaria) was taken captive by King Shalmaneser
V of Assyria in 722 B.C. * Lasted 209 years).
• The Southern Kingdom and the Destruction of
Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
1405-586 = 819 YEARS
*SEE THE TRUTH IN
THESE STATEMENTS:
• Deu 9:6 Therefore
understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess
because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.
• Deu 9:7 "Remember!
Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness.
From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this
place, you have been rebellious against the LORD.
• Deu 9:24 You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that
I knew you.
Valley Church of Christ
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-5058 ~
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Sunday Services – Classes ~10:00;
Assembly 10:50 am; Evening: 6:00 pm.
Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm
To learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com