Bible Timeline – Page 15 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on October 26, 2012November 22, 2021 by Margaret Hunter — 15 Comments

Nimrod Center of Babylon and Asshur

Babylon was established by Nimrod, who was a mighty hunter and ruler on the Earth. He was the son of Cush, and his grandfather was Noah’s son Ham. Noah was Nimrod’s great grandfather. Hebrew sources claim that Nimrod was a hunter of souls where he gathered men onto the plains of Shinar. Ancient scribes have also endorsed the idea that Nimrod was the world’s first conqueror. He supposedly had vast armies at his disposal, and when he began to enslave men for his kingdom, he decided to have them build a tower to the heavens. The Bible states that the people of the world all spoke one language during the time of Nimrod. Many of these people began to gather into Shinar on their own even though Nimrod still continued to gather souls and slaves for the kingdom. He appears on the Bible Timeline during the 19th century BC.

Nimrod’s name means “rebel” or “to rebel” and Hebrew scholars states that he lived his life in total defiance to the Lord. This ancient ruler hated God, and he wanted a man to be greater than the true Lord of Heaven. He preached rebellion and unbelief toward God and he taught (or forced) the people to follow his example. Many of the false religious belief systems that dominated the spiritual lives of ancient men were started by Nimrod. His wife was supposed to have introduced these new gods to the evil ruler, and many of these gods continued to be followed by the ancients as they spread out from the land of Shinar.

Before the people left the land of Shinar, they began to build a tower that would reach into the heavens. This tower was going to be used to make men great on the Earth. The Bible says that the tower was a literal building because they used materials such as brick and tar (bitumen). As they began to build this tower God stopped their defiance by causing all of the people that were gathered in Shinar to speak a different language. Since people could no longer communicate with each other, they had no choice but to stop the project. They then gathered themselves to other people that spoke in their language and started to migrate to other parts of the Earth. They left Shinar and took the worship of false gods with them as they spread out.

After the tower project was stopped the remaining people called the area “Babel” because the people sounded like they were babbling after God confused their language. This incident is historically recorded in many cultures in the Middle East and other parts of the world.

According to Genesis, Asshur was the second son of ~~Seth~~Shem, who was the son of Noah. The Bible says in Genesis that Nimrod went out of the land of Shinar and migrated north and formed the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboath, and Calah. Some Biblical scholars claim that Asshur also founded a city after his name and the people who lived in Asshur became known as the Assyrians. Nimrod probably established these cities because of his desire for conquest even though Asshur could have been a conqueror as well.

After Nimrod had established these two cities, they were the first places of organized false worship. Pagan deities were honored by the people who lived in around these areas. Babylon and Asshur (Assyria) would become places that God would call the symbols for evil. False religion, evil, sinful practices and the love of money would rise from these two cities. God constantly judges Babylon all throughout scripture, and he does the same thing to Assyria primarily through the city of Nineveh. God used the Babylonians and the Assyrians to judge his people when they didn’t obey him. These events took place about 4000 years ago in the Middle East.

Biblical References:

Genesis 10 Outlines the first forming of the nations and the formation of the first empire of the world under Nimrod. Nimrod creates new cities, and one of them was Asshur, which becomes Assyria.
Gen 11 The people of the world are gathered in the land of Shinar under the rule of Nimrod, and they decide to build a tower into the heavens that would defy God. The Lord confuses their language, and the people spread out over the Earth. This is the beginning of Babylon.
The Book of Nahum This book is dedicated to the judgments of Nineveh and the Assyrian empire. The prophet declared that it would fall and never again rise to its former glory
Revelation 17 to 19:9 The final judgment of Babylon.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://bibleatlas.org/asshur.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asshur
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushpia
http://www.buzzardhut.net/index/htm/Babylon/Nimrod.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimrod
http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/nimrod.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reconstructed_Babylon_-1.jpg

Posted on October 21, 2012April 5, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 9 Comments

Assyrian Empire, End of

The Assyrians were a cruel and warlike people who were used by God to punish his people and the surrounding nations who practiced idolatry. The Assyrians were especially cruel in their tactics and methods of conquest. Most Assyrian kings had a policy to transport the people from defeated kingdoms into other territories. They also enslaved them, killed them in great numbers, tortured humans as a means of entertainment, they praised false gods and they shed innocent blood. The Assyrians were not a righteous and upstanding group of people and in time God had to judge them for their sins. The kingdom of Assyria is completely replaced by Babylon by 600 BC which is when this event appears on the Bible Timeline.

Before God destroyed the Assyrians he sent them some of his prophets to warn them to turn away from their sins. The book of Jonah is a testimony to this truth. Jonah prophesied to the Assyrian city of Nineveh about 100 years before its destruction. This event took place around 740 to 730 B.C. The prophet didn’t want the Assyrian people of Nineveh to escape God’s judgment but God knew that they would repent and this is why he sent him to the city. Even though the people of Nineveh repented when Johan came to them the future generations of Assyrians did not have a change of mind about their cruel acts and sins. The prophet Nahum speaks judgments against the city about the same time as Jonah and his prophesies about the downfall of this city eventually take place.

The Assyrians conquered many people in the Middle East region of the world. The Medes, Scythians, Babylonians, and Medes were some of the major groups of people that were brought under the control of the Assyrians. The Israelites were also dominated by the Assyrians, but the people of Judah were not. They would be conquered by the kingdom of Babylon at a later date. The Assyrians broke their empire down into small and manageable provinces. The Assyrian King Tiglath-Pilezer started this policy and as he expanded the empire he continued to use it to make sure the people would not rebel. Eventually, this policy failed because the Babylonians, Scythians, and Medes rose up against the Assyrians around 632 B.C.

Assyria,_End_of_Empire — Battle scene, Assyrian, about 728 BC.

The Babylonians led this federation and went to war against the Assyrians. Their main objective was to take Nineveh and destroy this city because it was the seat of power for the Assyrian empire. The Babylonians got close to the city and almost destroyed it, but the Assyrians managed to keep them tied up before they could accomplish this objective. Some of the tribal groups of Medes managed to sack Nineveh while the Assyrians were busy fighting the Babylonian federation. Even though the Medes conquered the city the Babylonians would go on to become the official rulers of Assyria. When the Assyrians lost Nineveh they knew that their empire was going to fall into the hands of their enemies. Babylon went on to conquer other Assyrian cities and by 600 B.C. Babylon had become the next dominant empire in the region.

Biblical References:

The Books of Nahum, I and II Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles and Jonah explains why God took the time out to destroy and in some instances save Assyrians.

References:
http://www.aina.org/aol/peter/timeline.htm
http://www.worldology.com/Iraq/assyrian_empire.htm
http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Places/Place/324904
http://www.livius.org/as-at/assyria/assyria.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Britishmuseumassyrianrelieftwohorsemennimrud.jpg

Posted on October 19, 2012April 5, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Tiglath Pileser III

Since the time that the kingdom of Israel and Judah had split into two separate parts, both kingdoms fought against each other for power. This situation created a long lasting rivalry that span hundreds of years. It was around 740 B.C., and King Pekah of Israel, and King Ahaz of Judah were going to war with each other. King Pekah of Israel decided to join forces with the King of the Arameans against King Ahaz and Judah. King Ahaz then appealed to Tiglath-Plilezer by paying him with the treasure from the Temple so that he would aid him against this alliance.

The Assyrian king complied, but he took advantage of the situation. He appears multiple times on the Bible Timeline for each event. God was angry with Ahaz, so he allowed King Tiglath-Pilezer to march into Judah and to harass him while he was there. He took tribute from the Judean king, but he didn’t unify with them against Israel.

The Israelites defeated many of Judah’s troops because Ahaz was a wicked man who promoted idolatry. Tiglath-PIlezer was given power by God to go out and subdue many different kingdoms who refused to worship him. The foreign people who lived all over the Middle East were aware of the God of the Hebrews, but many of them didn’t adhere to his Commandments. So he not only used this Assyrian king to punish Israel he also used him to punish foreigners.

Tiglath-Pilezer and many Assyrian kings had a policy of defeating kingdoms and then shipping the people off to other parts of the Assyrian empire. As a matter of fact, he transported foreigners into Israel once he took this kingdom over. Before Tiglath-Pilezer harassed Judah or forced King Pekah of Israel to pay him tribute, he made a former Israeli king named Menahem to pay him tribute. He had established a pattern of harassing Israel and Judah, and this was only because God allowed him to so.

He even encouraged Hoshea to assassinate Pekah and gave him the right to rule Israel. Tiglath-Pilezer played various Israeli and Judean kings against each other and themselves. Tiglath-Pilezer conquered other territories including Syria, Tyre, Arpad and Damascus. He forced these foreigners to pay the Assyrians tribute. King Tiglath-Pilezer also created many sweeping reforms within his empire. His policy was not only to deport foreigners to different parts of the kingdom he also divided up many of the lands that he conquered into smaller provinces. He elected rulers in each area, and this was done so that they would fight against each other if anyone would decide to revolt.

He also expanded his army with foreign soldiers. Tiglath-Pilezer continued his policies as long as he was in power, and future Assyrian kings also followed the same pattern of rule. They continued to harass the people of Judah and Israel, and they controlled many other territories as well. God might have given the Assyrians great power to carry out their agenda, but he eventually would punish them for their sins. Tiglath-Pilezer’s rule came to an end when he died in 727 B.C. His name means “my trust is in the son of Esharra”.

Biblical References:

2 Kings 15: 29 Tiglath-Pilezer conquers many territories
2 Kings 16: 7 – 9 Tiglath-Pilezer decides to harass Judah and Israel after King Ahaz requests his help.
2 Chronicles 28 Tiglath-Pilezer destroys Judean towns and takes Israelites captive.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings+16&version=NIV http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Chronicles+28&version=KJV http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiglath-Pileser_III http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14393-tiglath-pileser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoshea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tilglath_pileser_iii.jpg

Posted on October 13, 2012April 5, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 3 Comments

Jeremiah A Major Prophet

Jeremiah was a major prophet because there is a lot of information about him in the Bible. That is the only difference between a major and minor prophet. Jeremiah began to prophesy during the reign of King Josiah, which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline. God used him to warn the people to turn from idolatry. This particular sin was destroying Judah, and it had already caused Israel to fall under the power of the Assyrians. Jeremiah told the Judeans about the immediate danger of judgment that was near, but most of the people didn’t listen to him. The Kings continued to worship idols and disregarded God’s warning. Eventually, what Jeremiah had prophesied came to pass. God gave King Nebuchadnezzar a lot of power and told him to go out and conquer the known world. While King Nebuchadnezzar did what the Lord commanded; God had revealed to him that he was to conquer Judah.

Jeremiah,Major_Prophet_of_the_Old_Testament_King_Nevuchadnezzar — ‘Nebuchadnezzar faces off against Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who holds a plan of Jerusalem, in a Baroque era depiction in Zwiefalten Abbey, Germany.’

‘Nebuchadnezzar faces off against Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, who holds a plan of Jerusalem, in a Baroque era depiction in Zwiefalten Abbey, Germany.’

King Zedekiah was the last ruler of Judah, and he was imprisoned in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar then made a Hebrew man named Gedaliah governor to Judah. The people of Judah were also forced marched to Babylon as exiles. During his effort to get the people to turn from sin, Jeremiah used a variety of tactics. He used his life and various means to illustrate God’s word. For example, God had Jeremiah buy a linen belt that could not be used for its intended purpose. This was to illustrate the fact that the Judeans sin with worshipping false idols was useless. God had Jeremiah visit a potter’s house and watch him as he created various dishes. When the potter messed up a particular vessel, he had to reshape it to make it right. This example would be used by Jeremiah to show the people how God was going to use various circumstances to reshape their lives.

Jeremiah,Major_Prophet_of_the_Old_Testament_Potter — ‘God was going to use various circumstances to reshape their lives.’

‘God was going to use various circumstances to reshape their lives.’

Jeremiah battled false prophets and priests, and he was imprisoned at various points in his prophetic career. When the people of Judah were put in chains and being prepared to march back to Babylon, God gave the prophet Jeremiah a choice concerning his destiny. A Babylonian military commander found Jeremiah and told him that he could go back with the captives or remain in Judah under the governor Gelediah. He also told him that God was going to take care of him no matter how he had decided to live his life.

Jeremiah chose to stay in Jerusalem. A Judean guerilla fighter named Ishmael assassinated governor Gelediah and when he did the people of Judah wanted to run to Egypt. They were afraid that the Babylonians would retaliate. Before they left, they decided to get a word from Jeremiah, but he told them to remain in Judah. He said that if they went back to Egypt they would go back into idolatry. He also revealed to them that God was going to kill anyone who decided to go to Egypt.

Once again, most of the people didn’t believe him. Eventually, King Nebuchadnezzar sent his forces into Egypt and took it over. All of the Hebrew people that escaped to Egypt perished. Jeremiah was a prophet whose fame is known by many people all over the world. His messages from God transcends the ages. He was born 655 B.C., and he became a prophet in 626 B.C. He lived during through the reign of Judah’s five last kings which included Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. His father was named Hilkiah, and he died in 586 B.C. He is also credited with writing the biblical book of Lamentations. Jeremiah will always be remembered as one of the greatest men of the Bible that has ever lived.

Biblical References:

Jeremiah 1: 1 – 3 Background information on Jeremiah
Jeremiah 1 – 6 God uses Jeremiah to warn his people to turn from idolatry.
Jeremiah 8 Jeremiah speaks out against false prophets.
Jeremiah 12 Jeremiah questions God’s justice.
Jeremiah 18: 18 – 23 The Judeans plot against Jeremiah
Jeremiah 37: 11 – 21 Jeremiah is imprisoned
Jeremiah 39: The Fall of Jerusalem
Jeremiah 40 – 42 Jeremiah decides to remain in Judah and tells the people not to go to Egypt when governor Gedaliah is assassinated.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8586-jeremiah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BA_%D0%98%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%8F,_%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE_%D0%91%D1%83%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%82%D0%B8.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II#mediaviewer/File:Germany_Zwiefalten_M%C3%BCnster_Nebuchadnezzer_and_Zedekiah.jpg

Posted on October 11, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Gedaliah Governor of Judah Under Captivity

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had conquered Judah around 586 B.C. After he captured the territory of Judah he exiled thousands of its people back into his homeland of Babylon. He then appointed loyal governors to the territories that he defeated so that he could keep them under control. King Nebuchadnezzar appointed a Hebrew man named Gedaliah as governor of Judah once he took over their kingdom. Gedaliah appears on the Bible Timeline around 586 BC.

Gedeliah Governer_of_Judah — The Lion of Judah

Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan the prophet. He came from a line of godly men who were devoted to the Lord. Ahikam had once saved the prophet Jeremiah from death, and Shaphan played a role in the discovery of the lost book of Moses Law which would later become the book of Deuteronomy. When Gedaliah became governor, he ruled the remaining Judeans in the land which were left behind after the exile. The remaining people were primarily poor people who were left in the area to work the vineyards and fields. Gedaliah treated these people with respect, and he cared for them greatly. The governor also encouraged a revitalization project in Judah which drew a lot of people in the area to the city of Mizpah where he resided. He always encouraged them to remain loyal to Babylon so that they would not experience any further problems.

During this turbulent period in Judah’s history rebel groups of guerilla fighters formed to against Babylon. These groups dwelt mainly in the open countryside of Judah, and they presented themselves as freedom fighters against the Babylonians. One particular rebel was named Ishmael, and he was well known among the people. Ishmael and the other rebel bands found out that Gedaliah was the governor of Judah, and they eventually went to Mizpah his home city to meet him. Once the rebels arrived Gedaliah told them that they must not fight against Babylon anymore and that they should stay in Mizpah with him. He befriended most of the rebels and developed a strong friendship with Ishmael. Even though this was the case, Ishmael had other plans for the governor.

Ishmael had been plotting with the King of Ammon, a nearby kingdom, to assassinate Gedaliah. Some of the other rebels had found out about this assassination plot, and they warned the governor. Gedaliah didn’t believe them and one day he invited Ishmael to his house for dinner and was killed by this man. Once Ishmael had killed the governor the people of Judah realized that Babylon was going to retaliate against them. So they wanted to run back to Egypt to avoid destruction. They consulted the prophet Jeremiah about their decision. He told them that if they went to Egypt God was going to kill them there. The Lord wasn’t finished with the punishment of Judah for its sins. Jeremiah wanted them to remain under Babylonian control until God’s punishments were carried out. Most of the people didn’t listen to Jeremiah, and they fled to Egypt. Eventually, Babylon found out what had happened, and they attacked Judah and then attacked Egypt. The Judeans that escaped to Egypt were eventually killed by the Babylonians just as Jeremiah prophesized. There weren’t any more leaders in Judah for many years after the death of Gedaliah. The Judeans lamented his memory with a fast called the “Fast of Gedaliah” and his name means “God has made great”.

Biblical References:

2 Kings 25: 22 – 26 Gives a brief account of the life of Governor Gedaliah and the events surrounding his assassination.
Jeremiah 40 – 42 Presents a detail description of the life of Gedaliah and how his assassination led to further harm for the people of Judah.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gedaliah
http://reluctant-messenger.com/judahs_sceptre_205.htm

Posted on September 25, 2012May 5, 2021 by Margaret Hunter — 7 Comments

Jehoiakim King of Judah

King Jehoiakim became the ruler of Judah when his father was marched away to an Egyptian jail that is where he appears on the Bible Timeline. King Necho of Egypt disposed of King Jehoazah because he was a potential threat to his military operations in the Middle East. After he had imprisoned King Jehoahaz, Necho made his son Eliakim the next ruler of Judah. He changed his name to Jehoiakim and then forced this king to pay him tribute. The young king taxed all of his subjects to pay the required levy.

In the meantime, Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Judah. King Jehoiakim realized that he would not be able to defeat Babylon and paid tribute to this empire as well. King Jehoiakim had to pay tribute to two foreign powers, and he eventually rebelled against Babylon. When Judah rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar sent his forces to sack the kingdom. God had given them the power to accomplish this because he already prophesized that they would. God was finally paying back Judah for their sins of idolatry and for murdering innocent people during the reign of Manasseh.

One thing about God is that he is patient because he wants to give people a chance to repent and turn from their sins. He delays judgments so many times for this reason alone. The kings of Judah, who had not been living right, were given opportunities to repent, but they refused to turn back from their idolatry. During the rule of the righteous king Hezekiah, God warned the people that destruction was going to come on them if they did not repent.

King Hezekiah was a leader that took God seriously about the matter, but many other kings such as Jehoahaz didn’t. God knew that he was going to have to fulfill his judgments sooner or later. So he decided to use the pagan nation of Babylon to carry out this purpose. Hopefully, this would cause the people to repent of their sins.

One day during Hezekiah’s reign he had showed representatives from Babylon all of his treasures and wealth. God told Hezekiah that everything that he showed to Babylon was going to be taken over by this nation. God spared Hezekiah from experiencing this event while he was alive. God waited until Jehoiakim’s reign to allow this judgment to take place. King Jehoiakim wasn’t any different from the other kings before him who indulged in idolatry. So when God allowed the Babylonian captivity to begin during his reign, it was a just act from God.

The Babylonians began to take captives out of Judah back to their territory, but they left Jehoiakim in power. Jehoiakim remained in power for eleven years before he died, and his name means “raised by God”. After the Babylonian’s had taken over control of Judah, King Necho of Egypt didn’t go near the country ever again. He realized that God was with the Babylonians, and he didn’t want to challenge them at all. He left Judah completely alone. After Jehoiakim had died his son Jehoiachin became the next ruler.

Biblical References:

2 Chronicles 36: 5 Ruled for 11 years and 25 when he ruled. He was evil in God’s sight.
2 Chronicles 36: 6 – 8 Captured by the King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and taken into captivity in chains. Nebuchadnezzar carries away treasures from the temple during his reign.
2 Kings 23: 35 King Jehoiakim forces the people to pay a tax to pay Nero‘s tribute.
2 Kings 24: 1, 2 Babylon invades Judah and Jehoiakim are forced to pay tribute for 3 years, but then he rebelled. God sends Babylonians to destroy Judah to fulfill his prophecies.
2 Kings 24: 3, 4 God decided to eliminate Judah for Manasseh’s evil. He killed a lot of innocent blood, and God did not forgive his acts.
2 Kings 24: 5 -20 King Necho came back to Judah after Babylon because the Babylonians became the dominant power in the region. Jehoiachin takes over after his father passes away.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehoiakim
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0011_0_10049.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jehoiakim-Eliakim.jpg

Posted on September 23, 2012June 21, 2021 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Josiah Righteous King of Judah

King Josiah name means “healed by Jehovah” and during his reign he helped the people to remain faithful to the Lord. Josiah became king at the age of eight. He ruled from the seventh century B.C., which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline with World History. His father, King Amon was assassinated because he led the people of Judah astray.

When Josiah turned twelve years old, he began reform the land of Judah. He started this reform by removing all of the pagan shrines and temples from the land. He tore down the altars that were dedicated to the pagan deities, and he removed carved idols. This was the beginning of his campaign to remake Judah into a better place for the people to serve God. He didn’t just reform the city of Jerusalem he also reformed other cities and towns such as Ephraim and Simeon.

Josiah also reinstituted the worship services at Solomon’s Temple, which had been abandoned for many years. He appointed Levite leaders and officials to govern the temple and hired workers to restore the parts of the building. He made sure that all of the pagan idols and altars were removed from the temple’s area. During the restoration project, a high priest named Hilkiah found the Book of the Law which was created by Moses.

The high priest then read the book back to King Josiah, who then tore his clothes in despair. The reason he ripped his garments is because he realized that the people were not living in the right way. He then sent Hilkiah and some other officials to find a person who could read the Book of the Law in detail. Josiah’s representatives found a female prophetess named Huldah. Huldah revealed to them that Judah was going to be brought into captivity for their sins. Especially for the sins of Manasseh, who murdered innocent people during his reign. God would not forgive him for committing these acts.

Huldah told Josiah’s officials about the judgments that God was going to bring on the land. She also told Josiah that he wasn’t going to have to experience that ordeal. King Josiah then preserves the discovered Book of the Law. He then throws a spectacular Passover feast that is considered one the best in all of the history of Judah. About this time an Egyptian king named Neco was crossing into a region near Judah’s territory.

For some reason, King Josiah wanted to go to war with him. Neco wasn’t in the area to fight against Judah, and he told King Josiah that he was sent by God to fight against another army. King Neco also informed King Josiah that he should not interfere with his battle plans because the Lord was on his side. Once again, King Josiah didn’t listen to him.

So the two forces went to battle and during the conflict King Josiah was killed by Neco’s archers. The prophet Jeremiah made songs about his Josiah after he had passed. These songs are known as the Lamentations, and they can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. His son, Jehoahaz becomes the next ruler of Judah. He ruled Judah for 31 years.

Biblical References:

2 Chronicles 34: 1 -2 Background information on Josiah.
2 Chronicles 34: 3 – 5 Josiah makes reforms at the age of 12, follows in the ways of King David. Destroyed pagan shrines and idols in Judah.
2 Chronicles 34: 6, 7 King Josiah reforms various town surrounding Jerusalem as well.
2 Chronicles 34: 8 – 13 King Josiah assigns various positions within the kingdom and made renovations to the temple.
2 Chronicles 34: 14 Hilkiah, the high priest, finds one of the books of the Law that was written by Moses.
2 Chronicles 34: 18 Hilkiah reads the Book of the Law to Josiah, who then rips his clothes in despair.
2 Chronicles 34: 19 -21 King Josiah realized that they had not been obeying God and that the Lord was angry with them for this reason. As a result, he had his priests this book to the people.
2 Chronicles 34: 22 – 28 King Josiah’s officials pay a visit to a female prophetess named Huldah. She tells the king that God is going to punish Judah for their sins, but it isn’t going to happen in King Josiah’s lifetime.
2 Chronicles 34: 29 -33 Josiah makes necessary reforms.
2 Chronicles 34: 1 – 19 King Josiah throws a super spectacular Passover Celebration.
2 Chronicles 34: 20 – 26 King Josiah fights against King Neco of Egypt even though he should not have. God was on Neco’s side, and King Josiah lost his life because he should not have interfered with Neco’s business. The Prophet Jeremiah recorded Lamentation songs about Josiah, and they are found in the Book of Lamentations.
2 Kings 22 – 24: 29 An alternate account of King Josiah’s rule with more detail on certain events that occurred in his life.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah http://www.vtaide.com/gleanings/Kings-of-Israel/biography_Josiah.html http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/464028/jewish/King-Josiah.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah

Posted on September 16, 2012July 31, 2020 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Esdras Prophet and Book of the Apocrypha

Esdras was an important scribe and priest for the Jewish people during the time that they returned from exile. Esdras is the Greco-Latin version of the Hebrew name Ezra, and it is also a book of the Apocrypha which is found in some versions of Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. The scribe Ezra has a book in the Bible named after him. He appears in the Old Testament during the time Nehemiah was allowed to return to his homeland to restore the Temple of Solomon and to repair the city that is where he appears on the Bible Timeline. Esdras was in captivity before he returned to Jerusalem. King Cyrus of Persia gave different Jewish leaders the right to return to Jerusalem to start the rebuilding process.

Esdras was important to this process because he was used to reminding the people of Israel about their relationship and destiny with God. The people were reminded by Esdras on a daily basis about how important it is for them to worship God and to live a life full of holiness since they were allowed to return from captivity. He gave the Israelites important information about the important expectations that God had for them once they returned home. Many Jews had forgotten about Moses’s laws or they didn’t regard them as important anymore. Esdras helped to change this condition because he was a scholar of the Laws of Moses. Even though he was in captivity, he was still able to learn about the important laws that Moses had left for the people.

There are two books titled Esdras within the Apocrypha and the Septuagint. Once again these books can be found in some Catholic or Orthodox versions of the Bible. Some Catholic versions of the Bible contain Esdras 3 and 4. There are two books of Esdras. 1 Esdras tells of Jewish exiles after leaving Persia under Cyrus and how they restored the temple, feasted in honor of their return. How they confronted their enemies who wanted to stop them from rebuilding and how they put away foreign wives and idolatry.

2 Esdras goes into detail about how the different steps that the Jews had to take in order purify the Jews from their marriage of non-Jews. An archangel named Urial is sent to the Jews to answer important questions about the fate of men and tells a story about a man who breaths fire on a crowd of evil men. 2 Esdras also explains how the Lord was against Israel, the end of the age, seven visions of judgments and retributions, prophecies of wars and calamities and rule of Messiah for 400 years.

Even though Esdras 1 and Esdras 2 have been accepted as sacred texts, many biblical scholars do not think that these two books are inspired. The information contained in these books contradicts sound biblical doctrine. The writings also appear to have been authored from a later period after these events happened. Esdras 1 and 2 were not regarded as standard Hebrew texts. These books were obtained after the rabbinical council in Jamina pieced together the Old Testament in 90 A.D. Since Esdras 1 and 2 were found at a date after the Old Testament was formed they were not considered inspired texts by Jews and the Protestant Branch of Christianity. However, there were some Protestant church leaders, such as Martin Luther, who placed Esdras 1 and 2 in their versions of the Bible.

References:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05535a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esdras
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Esdras
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05535a.htm
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Esdras_preaches_the_law._Julius_Schnorr.jpg
http://pixabay.com/en/martin-luther-king-civil-rights-25271/

Posted on September 14, 2012May 16, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 19 Comments

Israel and the First Carrying Away by Assyria

The first carrying away occurred about the middle 8th century BC which is where it appears on the Bible Timeline.

God had chosen the people of Israel to be his personal representatives on the Earth. The Lord was going to use these people to reveal his truth to the world and why it is important for all of mankind to follow him. God expected his chosen people to obey his commandments and to live as a holy people set apart for his service. Unfortunately, the Israelites didn’t always live in obedience to God. By the time the Israelites had kings the people were worshipping foreign gods and conducting pagan practices. God had sent many prophets and deliverers to turn the people back from their sins but they didn’t listen. So he decided to use foreign nations to punish his people. The Lord gave some of the ancient enemies of Israel the power to defeat and to enslave them.

The Assyrians were a powerful warlike people who existed in the Middle East from 2400 B.C. to 600 B.C. They once occupied the modern day countries of Iran, Iraq and southern Turkey. When the Assyrians were in power God gave them the ability to become a fierce and conquering kingdom. Around 900 B.C. the Assyrians began to conquer many territories within the Middle Eastern and Mesopotamian region. They dominated many kingdoms and empires such as Egypt, the Hittites and the Persians. By 740 B.C. the Assyrians were used by God to judge Israel for their sins.

Israel_and_the_First_Carrying_Away_by_Assyria — A map showing the deportation of the Jews by the Assyrians

A map showing the deportation of the Jews by the Assyrians

Tiglath-Pileser III was also known as Pur and in 1 Chronicles 5:26 this Assyrian king had carried away the Israeli tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. He took Israelites from the cities of Ijon, Abelbethmaachah Janoah, Kadesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee and Naphtali. Pur had carried away many captives back to his homeland.

When God allowed the Israelites to be captured by the Assyrians he allowed this to happen at different intervals of time. After Pur carried away the first group of Israelites back to his territory the people didn’t repent of their sins. About 20 years later God inspired the Assyrians to enslave them once again. This second deportation of Israel happened because the people refused to listen to God and his prophets.

Shalmaneser had carried out this deportation during the reign of King Hoshea. Sargon II then finished off the Israelites with a siege against the capital city of Samaria. Some of the people were placed in Halon and Harbor by the river Gozan. These areas were located in modern Iran, Iraq and Turkey as well. Assyrian cuneiforms that were discovered from this time period in history reveal that 30,000 captives were taken from Israel during the reign of Sargon II.

History has shown that many of the Israelites never made it back into their homelands since their final deportation. The people of Judah who experienced captivity at the hands of foreigners were able to come back into their homeland. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra in the Bible are historical accounts of their return. Though some Israeli’s were able to make it back home most remained inside of foreing territory for many years.

The Israelites that were able to make it back to their homeland constantly experienced defeat and captivity at the hands of foreigners such as the Greeks and then the Romans. History also points out that the 10 tribes never made it back to their homeland until the modern era. After experiencing the holocaust under the Germans the nation of Israel was formed in 1948 and many Israelites were able to return to their homeland once again.

Biblical Sources:

2 Kings 17: 3 – 6 Shalmaneser sieges Samaria for 3 years before conquering the city.
2 Kings 18: 11 – 12 13 King of Assyria captured Israel; placed them in Halah and Harbor.
1 Chronicles 5:26 Assyria carried away Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manas
2 kings 15:29 Tiglathpilneser, Pul rulers responsible for capturing Israel under Assyria

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_captivity_of_Israel
http://www.moellerhaus.com/assyrian.htm

Posted on September 6, 2012March 29, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 11 Comments

Elijah, Prophet

The prophet Elijah lived in Israel and Judah during the 8th century B.C., which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline. This particular prophet was used by God to teach many about the Lord and to confront the evil rulers in the land of Israel and Judah.

Elijah’s life was full of many challenges, miracles and adventures that were given to him by God.

The Widow and Elijah

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were Elijah’s greatest Earthly enemies during his life. They were wicked rulers who reigned over the land of Israel. One day God told Elijah to tell King Ahab that a famine would come to the land of Israel, and it did. God then sent Elijah to a widow to Zarephath and the woman had a son. When Elijah discovered who the widow was he wanted to eat a meal with her. She told him that she was going to cook the last of her food before she and her son would die. Elijah told her to make him some bread first and that there would be enough left over for her and her child. Elijah then prophesies to the woman that God will always provide her with enough flour and oil to eat. The Lord said that he would perform this miracle up until he decided to send rain again to the land.

Prophe-elijah — ‘Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta’

‘Prophet Elijah and the Widow of Sarepta’

The widow’s son became sick while Elijah stayed with them, and the Prophet brought him back to life by lying on top of him three times and crying out to the Lord. Many people use this particular story from Elijah to explain how God will meet the needs of his people and the great miracles that God can do to help people out in life.

Elijah vs. Baal

During the reign of King Ahab, many followers of God were persecuted for their beliefs. King Ahab allowed Jezebel to kill off God’s prophets, and the situation was so bad that they had to go into hiding just to survive. God eventually had enough of this situation and sent Elijah to stop Jezebel from slaughtering his people.

Prophet_Elijah_King_Ahab — ‘ELIYAH VISITS KING AHAB AND THE BA’AL PROPHETS’

‘ELIYAH VISITS KING AHAB AND THE BA’AL PROPHETS’

Obadiah was a follower of God who served King Ahab. There was a famine in the land at the time, and King Ahab told Obadiah to go and find some suitable cattle and horses. While Obadiah was out fulfilling his duty he ran into Elijah. The prophet told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he was going to stop Jezebel and her minions. Obadiah was reluctant and fearful to carry out this command, but he ultimately relented to Elijah because he was a godly prophet. So Obadiah told King Ahab that Elijah had issued a challenge to Baal and his followers. King Ahab and the prophets met Elijah on Mt. Carmel where they performed a contest to see who had the strongest god. Baal’s priests lost the competition, and they were slaughtered by the people. King Ahab was angry, and Jezebel wanted to destroy Elijah for the damage that he had done to her false religious system. God had used Elijah to avenge his followers deaths.

Elijah on the Run

Elijah had to run into the wilderness because Jezebel wanted to spill his blood for discrediting her God. He then encountered God while he was out in the wilderness. Elijah was fed up with fighting against evil, and he wanted to die, but God encouraged him to continue. God then uses a windstorm, an earthquake, and fire to teach people how God speaks. The verses tell us that God was not in those three, but afterward he spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice. God then sent Elijah to Elisha so that he could make him the next leader.

Prophet_elijah_elisha — ‘The prophet Elijah − the 17th-century icon, provenance − Weremień. Now in the Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland’

‘The prophet Elijah − the 17th-century icon, provenance − Weremień. Now in the Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland’

The Cloak of Elijah

Elijah was nearing the end of his journey on Earth and God told him to make a man named Elisha the next leader. Elijah found Elisha plowing in a field and placed his cloak over his shoulders. Elisha then left his family and friends in order to serve the Lord. Elijah had taught Elisha many things about serving God since their initial encounter and eventually the Lord was ready to take Elijah to heaven. God told Elijah to travel to three places before he took him up to heaven. These places were Bethel, Jericho and the Jordan River. Every time that Elijah traveled to one of these places some prophets of God would run up to Elisha and tell him that the Lord is going to take Elija into heaven and each time he would tell them to be quiet because he already knew.

Once Elijah reached the Jordan River, he used his cloak to divide the water in order to cross to the other side. Elisha asked Elijah if he could be the next leader, and Elijah told him he could be the leader if he could see him when God takes him away to heaven. If he doesn’t see him while he is being drawn up to heaven, then he could not be the next leader. So the two men started to walk again and then a chariot from heaven appeared and carried Elijah away. Elisha then cried out “My father! My father! The chariots and charioteers of heaven” before he picked up Elijah cloak to become the next leader of the prophets. Many Jewish and Christians believe that Elijah never experienced death, and he was expected to come back to the world right before it ends.

Bible References:

1 Kings 17 Elijah and the widow.
1 Kings 18 Elijah challenges the priest who serve Baal.
1 Kings 19: 1-13, 1 Kings 19: 19 – 21, 2 Kings 2 Elijah passes on his mantel of leadership.

References:
http://www.biblegateway.com/
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Elijah.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SaintIliaFromRilaMonastery.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_Leighton-_Elijah_in_the_Wilderness.jpg