150 Thrive Deeper: 2 Kings 23:31 – 2 Kings 25:30

Judah has reached the end of the road. The final 4 kings turned away from the exclusive worship of God that Josiah had practiced. In a series of attacks, Jerusalem is captured and totally destroyed and the people taken into captivity in Babylon.

God’s Prophets in the last days of the Southern Kingdom – Judah. Habakkuk – prophesied the Babylonian invasion soon after Josiah’s death as judgement from God on his sinful people. Daniel – Taken captive to Babylon during the reign of Jehoiakim. Lived most of his adult life in Babylon. Ezekiel – Taken captive to Babylon during Jehoiachin’s reign. His prophecy directed mainly at the people in exile. Jeremiah – Lived in Jerusalem during the destruction and then was taken with the final refugees to Egypt. Prophesied against the sins of the last 4 kings of Judah and the people.

City completely destroyed. Only the poorest left to look after the land. One of which was Jeremiah. After the Babylonian appointed ‘governor’ Gedaliah is assassinated, everyone flees to Egypt in a seeming reversal of the Exodus.

Jehoiachin (from the true Messianic line) was released by Babylonian King Evil-Merodach (Awil-Marduk) son of Nebuchadnezzar and allowed to live freely in Babylon and appears to have been treated as an important person by the king.