King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Friday, August 14, 2026
Chapters: II Kings 24-25, II Chronicles 36
Lesson: II Kings/II Chronicles: God’s Judgment on Judah
Hello My Friend,
I was watching this show about what it would be like when the “Apocalypse” comes, to the Christian world that would be the Tribulation. People literally became like animals, fighting over who gets to control who lives or dies. And this is actually what the government wants to do, just give everyone their ration, no one gets to be rich, but the elite who somehow manage to con their way through life. When the Tribulation does come, it will be much worse than anything ever imagined but it is not like we have never experienced some sort of worldly tribulation to give us a sign that much worse is to come. We take a pause from Jeremiah to come to the of the reading of II Kings and II Chronicles, they also give the account of the judgments of Judah and Jerusalem. First, Jehoahaz reigned, but only for three months when they were invaded by Egypt.
[II Chronicles 36:1-5 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.]
Jehoiakim’s, name, which means,“whom Jehovah sets up”, reveals that God Himself arranged all this. Egypt was only a temporary instrument in God’s hand, for Nebuchadnezzar would soon take the stage as the true agent of judgment. Natural disasters may strike on their own, but the great movements of the nations, wars, invasions, and transfers of power, are the arenas where God executes His purposes toward both His people and the world. It was never God’s design for Egypt to conquer Israel; Babylon had already been appointed for that role. Nebuchadnezzar, wasted no time advancing, and God made plain to Judah the reason for his coming.
[II Kings 24:1-4 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; 4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.]
God, will tolerate many offenses, but the taking of innocent life in the name of false gods is an abomination before Him. He alone is the giver and taker of life, and He would never sanction the sacrifice of one person to preserve another. This is why, in the fullness of time, He offered His own life through His Son, so that no human life would ever be demanded as the price of salvation, [John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.]
Once Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem, Egypt fled in fear, knowing they were no match for the power of Babylon, [II Kings 24:7-10 And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt. 8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. 10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.]
II Chronicles states that For three years Jehoiakim served under the king of Babylon, but eventually he rebelled. His defiance brought swift consequences: bands of warriors from the surrounding nations swept into Judah and ravaged the land. They carried off not only the treasures of the Temple to Babylon, but people as well, marking the beginning of Judah’s long and painful captivity.
[II Kings 24:12-14 And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. 13 And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.]
II Kings, records Jehoiachin, as being eighteen, but II Chronicles he was only eight years old, do not count this as an error, it was likely that he was eight when his father died, but the point was that even at a young age he still did what which was evil in the sight of God. This goes on to show us that even children can be influenced by evil and why God had given the command years ago to remove everyone that is of an accountable age. Sin, is no respecter of persons, regardless of our age, will devour anyone who lets it overtake them, [James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.]
This is not an exaggeration, even saved, born-again Christians can fall into the abyss of sin and the only option to save them from themselves is death. Take note that Nebuchadnezzar removed anyone who was strong enough to fight or smart enough to build anything that would help them fight against them. The only people who remained in Jerusalem were the poor, feeble, and weak who would not be able to stand up against them. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s uncle the king and changed his name to Zedekiah.
[II Kings 24:17-20 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. 18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.]
Mattaniah’s name, which means gift of Jehovah, was changed to Zedekiah, which means justice of Jehovah. So, In other words, to signify that God was getting justice for their turning their backs on Him and shedding innocent blood. You would think that at this point they would have finally surrendered to God, but they did not. Zedekiah, was no exception, he tried everything he could to keep Nebuchadnezzar from taking over.
[II Chronicles 36:11-14 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. 13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.]
When the priests follow suit with the world you can expect judgment from God, it was so bad that God even had the very Temple that was dedicated to Him burned down to the ground, And Zedekiah, had to watch his family die, [II Kings 25:6-9 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire.]
Wow! God, not only removed the people out of Jerusalem, He had the very house in which they had built for Him removed as well. I cannot say that I blame Him for wanting to get rid of the building, this was His house and how they were even able to bring idols into it with no shame was evil in itself. God, is a jealous God and will have no other gods before Him, and He will destroy anything that defiles Him. Today, is no exception, since God’s Temple is within each and every saved, born-again Christian, you can be sure that God will send judgment on those who are defiling Him, [I Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.]
The people of Judah brought this judgment upon themselves. They had been warned repeatedly, not only by Jeremiah, but by many other prophets as well. Yet they mocked them, mistreated them, and hardened their hearts until God saw no further remedy but to carry out the judgment He had long held back. After most had been taken away, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, put the few that were left into positions to try to keep them sustained. However, all the vessels that were in the Temple were carried over to Babylon.
[II Kings 25:12-16 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. 13 And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. 14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. 15 And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.]
Those two pillars were of great significance, [I Kings 7:21 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.] They indicated that the Temple was the central Sanctuary of the LORD as well as the might of God being in the Temple. All the glory of Jerusalem, the city of David, the Temple, and every work David and Solomon had built for the honor of God, was reduced to nothing but ashes and stones and will remain that way for over seventy years. Now, Nebuchadnezzar appoints a man name Gedaliah as the governor.
[II Kings 25:23-25 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you. 25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.]
God is allowing His faithful to pass through the fire of His judgment. He is trying our reins to see whether we will endure with Him or turn aside in rebellion. He is calling to us, and depending on us. Will we stand and help bring others onto the sure foundation of Christ? God, seeks willing vessels: people who are not double‑minded, not attempting to take His place, and who remain steadfast in their faith. We must hold true to Jesus, refuse to quarrel among ourselves, love one another as He loves us, and avoid provoking each other with pride, man‑made rules God never ordained, or the condoning of sin as though it were normal.
[James 4:10-14 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? 13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.]
Today’s Prayer: God, It is so sad to see the world falling apart, even my own nation has forsaken You, and turned to abominable lifestyles, idols, and wicked imaginations. I know Your Son is returning, and things are going to get worse before that happens, we need a revival, a spiritual revival of all who know You, but are afraid to stand up to the truth. A revival of faith, boldness, and passion to speak the Gospel, and not be ashamed. Lord, give us Your power to get up and fight, the strength to keep going in Your truths, and the plan, wisdom, and tools we need, to help You restore the Church before Your limit is up, and You do send Your Son. Give us Your mercy, grace, and hedge of protection from all the evils. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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