Bible Chronology (40): From the Temple to Artaxerxes (15)

The prophet Jeremiah ministered during the reign of King Josiah. For 40 years, from 628 - 588 BC he warned Judah to repent or else God would send desolating judgments upon her, but she refused (these are the 40 years of Judah's sin in Ezekiel 4:6). Therefore, when time ran out in 588 BC, the final Siege of Jerusalem by Babylon began, which marked the start of the Desolations of Israel and Jerusalem (see Ezekiel 4-7, confirmed by Ezekiel 24). Jeremiah made some stunning prophecies concerning three 70-year periods of judgment upon Israel and the nations, at the hands of Babylon. In this study, we see how two of them were perfectly fulfilled. We see how Jeremiah 25:1-14 is a 2-fold prophecy, which predicted: (1) 70 years of Servitude of Israel and the nations to Babylonian domination (609 - 539 BC), which started in 609 BC with the end of the Assyrian Empire, when it fell to Babylon, and ended in 539 BC, with the end of the Babylonian Empire, when it fell to Cyrus, king of Persia, and (2) 70 years of Desolations for Israel and Jerusalem, which included their total expulsion from the Land (588 - 518 BC). Jeremiah warned God would increase the level of judgement from Servitude to Desolation, because of Israel's lack of repentance, despite many years of Divine warnings. (The other 70-year period of Captivity in Babylon is from 607 - 537 BC - see Jeremiah 29:1-14). Jeremiah 27 confirms that the start of Babylonian domination over the nations began in 609 BC (v1,3). It says that if any nation submits to Babylonian rule she would be spared worse judgment, but if she rebelled she would suffer increasing Captivity and Desolation (including total expulsion from her land). Despite Jeremiah's warnings, this happened to Israel, because she resisted God's discipline through Babylon.