From the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah (627 B.C.) until the final destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., the great prophet Jeremiah called on the Jews to repent. But neither the kings after Josiah nor the people would heed his warnings.

Jehoiakim (Eliakim)

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made King Jehoiakim his vassal. Jehoiakim served him three years, then revolted. In 606 B.C. the Babylonians took Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar bound Jehoiakim to carry him to Babylon as a prisoner but apparently accepted hostages instead, for Jehoiakim reigned eight more years, whereas some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and the nobles were taken to Babylon at this time. The Babylonians also carried off some of the temple vessels to place in the pagan temple in Babylon.

Daniel and his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were among the captives taken to Babylon in 606. They became advisors to the king, and Daniel rose to be second only to King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel prophesied throughout the period of Babylonian dominance and into the Persian period.

At this time, Jeremiah prophesied that the Jews would serve Babylon seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). He later told the captives to build houses, go about their business as at home, and pray for the welfare of their captor, and that the lord would bring them back home after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:4-10).

After Jehoiakim had reigned eleven years (597 B.C.), Nebuchadnezzar came again, bound him, and either killed him or carried him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar wanted Judah to prosper as a buffer between Babylon and Egypt, but the Jews refused to cooperate, foolishly placing their faith in Egypt to help them.

Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah)

Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son, reigned only three months. Nebechadnezzar again beseiged Jerusalem, and Jehoiachin and all his court went out of Jerusalem, surrendered, and were carried captive to Babylon. At this time Nebuchadnezzar took all the treasures of the temple to Babylon. He also took 10,000 of Judah’s leading citizens to be captives in Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel was among the captives taken at this time.

Thus, three great Old Testament prophets were contemporaries with differing roles: Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel. Jeremiah, the eldest of the three, was the prophet to the Jews in the land of Palestine, sorrowfully and vainly trying to get them to return to the Lord. Daniel was the prophet in the court of Gentile kings, prophesying to mighty rulers of empires about the universal rule of the Lord. Ezekiel was the prophet to the Jews in exile (3:4-5), preserving a faithful remnant to God from among the Dispersion (33:10-11).

Zedekiah

Nebuchadnezzar placed Mattaniah, another son of Josiah, on the throne and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah served Babylon nine years then rebelled. After a two year siege, Jerusalem finally fell in 586 B.C. The Babylonians killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, then blinded him and led him off captive to Babylon. The temple was destroyed, the valuables of the temple were carried to Babylon, and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. All who had survived except the poor of the land were taken to Babylon as captives. Because the Jews refused to obey Moses and the prophets, national Israel had been destroyed. Never again would Israel have an earthly king.

Gedaliah

After he had destroyed Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar set up Gedaliah, who was not of the royal lineage of David, to be governor in Mizpah. But in the seventh month of his rule, Ishmael, who was of the royal lineage, in collusion with the king of Ammon, murdered Gedaliah. Then the Jews who remained in the land, in defiance of the preaching of Jeremiah, took Jeremiah with them and fled to Egypt.

Judah was now left a desolate land. Samaria was home to Gentiles who practiced idolatry and a corrupted worship of the Lord. Jews were scattered throughout the Middle East without a home land and without power. The temple was gone. Jerusalem was in ruins. There was no longer a king of the lineage of David.

Was the Lord unfaithful? Had He forgotten His promise to Abraham, to bless all the world through his descendant? Had He been unfaithful to Israel, to restore them to Canaan if they would repent? Had He turned His back on David in allowing the reign of his descendants to cease?

No, the Lord was just working out His plan in ways beyond human comprehension. Daniel was proclaiming the universal rule of the Lord in the courts of great Gentile kings, laying the foundation for the universal spread of the gospel six centuries later. Ezekiel was helping to maintain a faithful remnant in the Dispersion, so Israel could be restored and Christ, the seed of Abraham and seed of David, could come. God fearing Jews were meeting together to worship the Lord and study His Word in far off lands and beginning the synagogue system that provided places for Jesus and His apostles to preach and laid the ground work for the organization of congregations of Christians. The Jews were learning that the Lord’s blessings came, not through being a Jew or going through an outward form of worship, but through personal faith and righteousness. God’s plan was right on track.

As the end of the seventy years approached, a man named Cyrus, whom Isaiah had called by name about two centuries earlier (Isaiah 44:28 - 45:4), from far off Anshan Province in Persia, defeated his own grandfather and became King of Media. Cyrus led the combined armies of Media and Persia against mighty Babylon. As Nabonidus the King of Babylon was gone to Arabia, and his son Belshazzar was having a drunken feast with the Babylonian leaders, the army of Cyrus diverted the flow of the Euphrates, marched under the impenetrable wall of the great city, and took Babylon without a fight.

Daniel, in Babylon, knowing that the seventy years prophesied by Jeremiah was coming to a close, bowed in prayer to God, confessed Israel’s sins, and pleaded that God would restore His people Israel and His sanctuary in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:1-19). Would Daniel’s prayer be answered?