►END TIME SERIES---Part One► What was the Nation of Judah & How Did the Nation Go into Exile in Babylon?

√Monday, December 23, 2013√|
►END TIME SERIES---Part One► THE BOOK OF DANIEL

(4) What was the Nation of Judah & How Did the Nation Go into Exile in Babylon? 

Daniel 1:1-2 ''In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.'' (This can also be found in 2 Chronicles 36:5-7)

The Book of Genesis tells us God's creation; how man fell, how God walked with some people, Noah, Enoch, etc. Then we see how God decided to establish His covenant through Abraham's lineage. But God foretold him that his descendants would go into captivity. So, after Abraham, God chose His son, Isaac. And after Isaac, God chose his son Jacob; hence, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God changed Jacob's name to ISRAEL. Now, the 11th of the 12th sons of Israel, called Joseph, was sold & ended up in Egypt. We see how events played out for the whole people of God to find themselves in captivity - just as God foretold. Genesis closes

The Book of Exodus tells us how God decided to DELIVER His people from Egypt through Moses unto the Promised Land. And we see how they wandered on the Desert. From latter part of Exodus to Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, God gave His LAWS (Ceremonial, Moral, etc) to His people.

Then in Joshua, we see transfer of Mantle from Moses to Joshua to bring God's people into the the Promised Land (Canaan, Israel, Palestine, at the Eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea). So we see in Joshua, Judges & Ruth that the people had reached Canaan and fallen into sin; THEY HAVE BEGAN COPYING THE SINS OF THE HEATHENS. God punished them by giving them into the hands of their enemies; they repented; God raised a Judge and a Deliverer to rescue them but fell into sin again. This vicious cycle continued for a long time.

We then see in 1st & 2nd Samuel a Theocratic governance. God, ruling His people through Priest and/or prophets. Then the people said they needed a King, which was the practice of the heathen nations that surrounded them. Meanwhile, God had told them NEVER TO COPY the heathens. But since they persisted, God, through Samuel, chose Saul for them. Then he fell and God chose David and after him, God chose David's son called Solomon. All this while, the NATION Israel was made up of 12 tribes BUT were ONE.

Then David's son, Solomon, was a backslider so God said He was goin' to punish the Israel. So after Solomon, his son Rehoboam became King and God punished them at this time by SPLITTING THE NATION INTO TWO.......

--TEN (10) TRIBES FORMED THE NORTHERN KINGDOM & CALLED THEMSELVES ''ISRAEL.'' THIS KINGDOM SINNED AND GOD PUNISHED THEM BY GIVING THEM in 721 B.C. INTO THE HANDS OF SHALMANESER, KING OF ASSYRIA, THE THEN SUPER POWER (2 Kings 17).

--2 TRIBES FORMED THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM AND CALLED THEMSELVES ''JUDAH.'' GOD RAISED JEREMIAH (HE PREACHED FOR 40 YEARS), MICAH, ZEPHANIAH FOR THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM TO REPENT SO THAT THEY DON' GET PUNISHED JUST LIKE THE NORTHERN KINGDOM. BUT THEY DIDN'T LISTEN. BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T LEARN LESSONS FROM THE FALL OF THEIR BROTHERS IN THE NORTHERN KINGDOM, THEY ALSO FELL INTO IDOLATRY 115 YEARS LATER & GOD PUNISHED THEM BY GIVING THEM INTO THE HANDS OF THE SUPER-POWER AT THE TIME, BABYLON WITH NEBUCHADNEZZAR AS ITS KING (BECAUSE BABYLON HAD ALREADY CONQUERED ASSYRIA). Daniel (Belteshazzar), Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael) &Abednego (Azariah) were from this kingdom and they, together with many people, were carried into Captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar.

We shall be looking at the SPECIFIC SINS THAT JUDAH COMMITTED THAT SENT THEM INTO EXILE. THESE ARE THE VERY SINS THAT SEND PEOPLE INTO BABYLON; SPIRITUAL CAPTIVITY IN THESE END TIMES. Remember, God laid on my heart to write in some of the earlier posts that WE MUST TAKE THE BOOKS OF DANIEL & REVELATION SERIOUSLY IN THESE END TIMES. WHY JUDAH WENT INTO CAPTIVITY.

---Samuel Kwasi Forkuo
ALL GLORY TO GOD.http://goo.gl/CKmtmB