2 Kings 24: The End is Coming

As we stand at the precipice of Judah's harrowing demise in 2 Kings 24, I, Pastor Brandon, will guide you through a poignant reflection of a nation's downfall. Feel the weight of history as we recount the tragic end of a once-stalwart kingdom, felled by the might of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army. In a narrative that echoes the intricacy of a masterfully crafted film climax, we'll explore the events that led to Judah's capture and exile—events that serve as a sobering reminder of the consequences of straying from the divine path. With a backdrop of Israel's long quest for understanding, I'll weave together the threads of their story, revealing how the unfolding of biblical prophecy brings us to the edge of our seats, expectant and introspective.

In our darkest moments, the comfort of the Holy Spirit is an ever-present sanctuary, a theme we'll embrace in the next part of our journey through scripture. I'll share insights on the omnipotent nature of God's love, inspired by the account of Elisha and his companion from 2 Kings 6. Together, we'll seek spiritual fortitude through prayer, yearning for our eyes to be opened to the legions of God's army that stand with us against life's tribulations. As we conclude this episode, I will offer a heartfelt prayer that we may all feel the encompassing presence of God, even as we look ahead with anticipation to the final chapter of this biblical epic in 2 Kings 25. Join me, and find solace in the understanding that no matter how profound the darkness, the light of His guidance is ever shining upon us.

SOAP Bible Study Method- https://www.brandoncannon.com/soap/
Bible reading plan- http://www.experiencerlc.com/the-bible/
Free weekly newsletter- https://www.brandoncannon.com/

Social:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/thebrandoncannon
Instagram: https://instagram.com/brandoncannon
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brandoncannon
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theBrandonCannon

The More You Dig. The More You Find.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, hello everybody.

Speaker 1: 0:25

Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today, 2 Kings, chapter 24. And today's title is the End Is Coming. The End Is Coming and, as we've been talking about before, this is the end of the second part of what used to be one book called Second Kings and it's going to end with today and tomorrow's chapter, and it is a sad ending. It's not happy but at the same time there's still something amazing about the ending. We're going into that just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, leave us a five star review on the podcast and then gather with us at the Bible Breakdown discussion at the Facebook group Bible Breakdown discussion. And it is amazing the more we dig, the more we find. I love those devotions they're doing every day and it is absolutely an honor to be building this community with you as we are going through God's word, one chapter at a time. If you have your Bible, don't open it with me to the very depressing Second Kings, chapter 24. This reminds me of a movie I watched one time, called the third movie in the Lord of the Rings called the Return of the King. I don't know if you ever watched this movie before, but when I watched it back, when it first came out, I had an opportunity to go to it was opening night at this particular theater and I was so excited. I've been watching the previews. I was just obsessed with seeing the end of this movie and I was so excited. And I was watching this movie and as I was watching it, there was this big climatic moment and it was just exciting and it was great. And then the lights go down and then the screen comes back up again, there's another ending, so we start going again and then the lights go down and then they go back up again. It's happened I forget it's like three or four times. Until the last time I was like is this? It Is it over? You know, and this was before they used to have like post credit scenes, that kind of stuff, I'm not sure if it was over or not and it was kind of cool because at one point it was like it was done, it was over. That's a little bit of excitement of is there a little bit more, because it was just an exciting thing, right. Well, today, in today's chapter.

Speaker 1: 2:28

If you've been with us, you realize that first and second Samuel and first and second Kings were written, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to answer the question for the nation of Israel how did we get in this mess? Because, as we know, israel has already failed. They've already been conquered by Assyria. Well, as we're going to read today and tomorrow that now it's Judas turn, because they've turned away from God so many times, they're going to be conquered by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. And as they are taken into captivity and they go to captivity for 70 years, the question becomes how do we get in this mess? I thought God was for us. I thought God was with us, and what the Holy Spirit is saying to us through first and second Samuel and now first and second Kings, who originally were two books, samuel and Kings they're telling the story of how we got into this situation, which is we did this over and over again. God said please follow me, please serve me, please, don't do that, please don't do that, please put that down, please. You know all this stuff and they just continually do not do it, and so what we're going to see is a season of endings that are necessary, but there's something beautiful about this that we're going to read together as we watch the inevitable happen. God told him it was going to happen and here we go, so if you're ready, get your Bible with me. Second Kings, chapter 24, verse one says this During Jehoachim's reign, king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land of Judah, and Jehoachim surrendered and paid him tribute for three years, but then rebelled.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonians, armeans, moabites and Mennonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through His prophets. These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord's command. He had decided to banish Judah from his presence because of the many sins of Manasseh who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not forgive this. The rest of the events in Jehoachim's reign and all his deeds were recorded in the history of the book of the kings of Judah. When Jehoachim died, his son, jehoachim, became the next king. The king of Egypt did not venture out of his country after that, but the king of Babylon captured the entire area formerly claimed by Egypt, from the Brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River. Jehoachim was 18 years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother was Nahushta, the daughter of Enthalon, from Jerusalem. Jehoachim did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as his father had done.

Speaker 1: 4:58

During Jehoiakins reign, the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and beseeched it. Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city. During the siege, the King Jehoiakins, along with the Queen Mother, his advisors, his commanders and his officers, surrendered to the Babylonians. In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he took Jehoiakins prisoner. As the Lord had said beforehand, nebuchadnezzar carried away all of the treasures from the Lord's temple and the royal palace. He stripped away all the gold objects that King Solomon of Israel had placed in the temple. King Nebuchadnezzar took all of Jerusalem captive, including all the commanders and the best of the soldiers, craftsmen and artisans. 10,000 and all Only the poorest people were left in the land.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Nebuchadnezzar led King Jehoiakins away as captive to Babylon, along with the Queen Mother, his wives and officials and all of Jerusalem's elite. He also exiled 7,000 of the best troops and 1,000 craftsmen and artisans, all of whom were strong and fit for war. Then the King of Babylon installed Mataniah, jehoiakins uncle, as the next king, and he changed Mataniah's name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem 11 years. His mother was Hamatal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libna, but Zedekiah did what was evil in the Lord's sight, just as Jehoiakins had done. These things happened because the Lord's anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he had finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile. Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon.

Speaker 1: 6:52

So, as we can see, the end is coming. God is going to do what he's going to do. But what I want you to see is, as we're going to read we read it today and as we're going to read tomorrow even with this, god still doesn't give up on his people. You're going to read this and you saw it today that, even though these things were happening and God led these people over here and God leads people over here he didn't slaughter them. They may have had to go into uncomfortable situations, all these people, they were led away, but they weren't destroyed.

Speaker 1: 7:24

And can I tell you I've seen that happen in my life, I've seen that happen in the lives of others that, yes, bad days come. Can I say this to you? If you consider me to be your pastor, I want to say this to you In this life, you will have trouble. Suffering's the thing, it just is. I wish it wasn't, but it is. Jesus suffered. If Jesus suffered, how dare we ever think we're not going to suffer? Who do we think we are to think we're not going to have bad times? It's going to happen. Well, pastor, we should be more positive. Okay, I'm positive, bad times will come. But here's the thing God never leaves us. There's so many different reasons why bad things come. Bad things will come because of mistakes that we have made and we have to pay the price, the just penalty, for our sins. Our sins are forgiven, but sometimes the effects of our sin remain and we have to pay the price. Sometimes we don't do anything bad, it's just we live in a fallen world and we trust, in the end, that even in the bad things, god is able to get glory and he's able to do good things. But here's the thing Suffering will happen. As a Christ follower, suffering will happen.

Speaker 1: 8:37

The Bible says that Job went through all kinds of bad things and we know, because we read the story, that at the very beginning of Job, it says that it was because God had so much faith in Job he allowed the enemy to afflict Job for a season. That's why the Bible never says that God told Job that. So he said they're going. God, why am I doing all this suffering? The Bible never says he found out on this side of eternity.

Speaker 1: 9:02

There was a time when Paul, like if anybody needed some help, paul did. The Bible said that he had an ailment, an issue, he caught a thorn in his flesh and he said. The Bible said three times, he prayed for God to deliver him from that thorn and God said no, but my grace will be sufficient. So there are times when we will go through difficult times. Here's the thing God never leaves us, god never forsakes us. Whether it's a valley of our own making, whether it's a valley that God allows us to walk through, for sometimes, reasons he only knows, god never leaves us. So if God will never leave us, that means he has purpose for us in that place. Because the Bible says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid. Why? Because God, he walks close beside me.

Speaker 1: 10:01

And I want to say that to somebody today that maybe you're going through a difficult valley, you're going through a difficult time. Let's say for another conversation why, maybe, who knows? But let's not go there right now? Instead, does it matter? You know what I mean Right now, while you're experiencing that pain, right now, while you're experiencing that loneliness, that depression, that fear, that anguish, that anxiety we could talk about later why let's just talk about the fact you feel it. It does not necessarily mean that you've done anything wrong. It might, but it might not. What does matter is that God hasn't left you. God is as close as you can whisper Jesus. He's with you even in this moment. So, even when the end comes the end of a relationship, the end of a job, the end of this, the end of that things we would never hope for even when those bad days come, god never leaves God's with you, even in this moment, right now. Let's pray together, father.

Speaker 1: 11:06

I pray that right now, everybody listening to this podcast or watching this video, that you, holy Spirit, will invade this moment. Lord, there are some people that may be listening to this. They're going through the deepest, darkest valley of their life. They need to be reminded of your presence, god. We know, because we believe your word, that you feel all of the universe. You stand outside of space and time, but yet you also encapsulate all that we can ask, think or imagine. You are in all dimensions simultaneously. You are everywhere. You're in this moment, right now. I pray that you will reveal yourself to us a little bit more, we'll experience your presence a little bit more and we'll remember there is no valley too deep, there is no mountain too high, that you are not with us right now. Let us experience your presence in this moment. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen, amen. And I hope for you that you will experience what happened in 2 Kings, chapter 6.

Speaker 1: 12:10

The Bible said that it was a moment when the prophet Elisha and this young man were being surrounded by an enemy. In the Bible says this Elisha said do not be afraid, for there are more on our side than on theirs. And then Elisha prayed oh Lord, open his eyes and let him see. And the Bible said that the Lord opened this young man's eyes and around that small enemy was a vast army of angels. My prayer is the Lord will open your eyes today for you to be able to see that there are more for you than there are against you. And God is with you more than you can imagine. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for the climax of 2 Kings, 2 Kings 25.