Josiah, King of Judah 640-609 BC seals, bulla. They're Digging up Bible Stories!

Archaeologists are digging up bible stories:

Josiah, King of Judah: 640-609 BC

1 Ki 13:2; 2 Ki 23:16; 2 Chron 34:3,8,14; 2 Ki 23:25


			Josiah: "The One" Promised: renaissance child (931 BC) Born: (648 BC) AGE 8: became king (640 BC) AGE 15: Josiah sought God (633 BC) AGE 19: Josiah purged idols (629 BC) AGE 26: Repairs temple, finds lost book (623 BC) AGE 39: Killed by Pharaoh Neco II (609 BC) The promised child

Azariah, son of Hilkiah	Hanan, son of Hilkiah	Gemariah, Jeremiah's scribe		Neco II, King of Egypt	The Exhibit: On-line Museum of Bulla and seals
Archaeologists are digging up bible stories!!!
Archaeology is an important science that confirms the historical accuracy of the Bible. Since the Bible refers to hundreds of cities, kings, and places, we would expect to find evidence from on-site excavations. And this is exactly what we have found. The Bible is the most historically accurate book of history on earth. Read the Bible daily!

King Josiah: 640-609 BC (2 Ki 22-23; 2 Chron 34-35; Jer 1-6; 46-47)

Introduction:

1. Josiah was prophesied to be born back in 931 BC when Jeroboam made Israel sin with idolatry:

a. "Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’ ”" (1 Kings 13:1–2)

2. Very few people were named before they were born: Isaac, Cyrus, John the Baptist and Jesus (Emmanuel) were also named by God.

a. "But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him." (Genesis 17:19)

b. "“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’ ” Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. “I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. “For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me. “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other," (Isaiah 44:28–45:6)

c. "But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John." (Luke 1:13)

d. "“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”" (Matthew 1:23)

e. "“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”" (Matthew 1:21)

f. "And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb." (Luke 2:21)

3. Josiah was born in 648 BC, probably the same year Jeremiah was born (Jer 1:7)

a. Josiah was enlightened at age 15 along list of other 15 year olds in the Bible: Joseph - Egypt (17), Jonathan - Geba (15), David - Goliath (15), Samuel (10)

b. Jeremiah's last entry is when Evil-Merodach frees Jehoiachin from prison in 561 BC. Jeremiah would be 87 years old. (see comment below for detail)

c. Here we have Jeremiah, a youth prophet like Samuel, sent to warn of the destruction of the temple. A resident from Anathoth where the descendants of Eli were banished by David and dismissed forever from being high priest. This answers the question definitively that Jeremiah's father, Hilkiah, was not the same as the Hilkiah the high priest who would find the book of the law in the temple.

4. The three stage enlightenment of Josiah:

a. AGE 15: Josiah first sought God in 633 BC at age 15. "For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images." (2 Chronicles 34:3)

b. AGE 19: Josiah purged the idols at age 19: (2 Chron 34:3)

c. AGE 26: Josiah repairs the temple and finds the lost book of the Law at age 26: 2 Ki 23

d. Restorations: remove idols from temple and killed the idolatrous priests. (2 Ki 23:4-20)

e. Restored the Passover: 2 Ki 23:21-23

f. Removes mediums and spiritists: 2 Ki 23:24

g. LEFT BEHIND (the Biblical version of that bad movie): Josiah would be taken and then tribulation upon Judah will begin. "Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.” (2 Kings 22:20) The people were NOT restored: "Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers." (2 Kings 23:9)

5. Two Lachish Ostraca specifically mention King Josiah around 610 BC that highlight those things important most to him: Justice for the oppress (widows) and the Temple of YWHW. What a great legacy of Josiah's righteousness to be left in the traces of archeology on broken pottery sherds. What would archeology say about YOUR life 200 years from now? For Josiah it was defending widows and fortifying the Temple of Solomon!

King Josiah, Temple of YHWH, Three Shekels

Inscription on pottery shard:

"Pursuant to the order to you of Josiah the king to give by the hand of Zechariah silver of Tarshish to the Temple of Yahweh Three Shekels"

Date of ostracon: 610 BC

Shlomo Moussaieff #1: 1997 AD

Unprovenanced

Full outline

King Josiah, Widow’s Plea

Inscription on pottery shard:

“May Yahweh bless you with peace [Ps 22:11]. And now, may my lord, the prince, hear your maidservant. My husband has died without children. May your hand be with me, and that you might give into the hand of your maidservant the inheritance concerning which you spoke to Josiah. As for the field of wheat which is in Naamah, you gave to his brother.”

Date of ostracon: 610 BC

Shlomo Moussaieff #2: 1997 AD

Unprovenanced

Full outline

6. Several key people are associated with the finding of the lost book:

a. Ahikam, father of Gedaliah first governor of Judea in 587 BC

b. Shaphan the scribe: grandfather of Gedaliah first governor of Judea in 587 BC. It was Shaphan who first read the law and reported its contents.

7. Five prophets lived during the reign of Josiah:

a. Prophetess Huldah, the wife of Shallum (2 Kings 22:14)

b. Jeremiah: 629-561 BC

c. Nahum: 629-612 BC

d. Zephaniah: 622 BC In spite of Josiah's reforms, Zephaniah decried that the people in general rejected restoration back to God. Zephaniah challenges God by asking him why He is doing nothing to chasten his people. He learned he was very wrong and that God was bringing Babylon to burn Jerusalem.

8. Asa king of Judah (911 - 870 BC) had a similar experience of restoration like Josiah:

a. "Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. “For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law. “But in their distress they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and they sought Him, and He let them find Him. “In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. “But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work. "Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the LORD which was in front of the porch of the LORD." (2 Chronicles 15:1-8)

	ASA 911-870 BC (41 years)	JOSIAH 640-609 BC (31 years)
Bible was ignored, Idol worship rampant	"For many days Israel was without the true God and without a teaching priest and without law." (2 Chronicles 15:3)	No bible. Idols in temple of Solomon.
Sought God and Removed idols on his own	"Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God, for he removed the foreign altars and high places, tore down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim," (2 Chronicles 14:2-3)	"For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images." (2 Chronicles 34:3)
Was reassured by a prophet	"Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you." (2 Chronicles 15:1-2)	Found book of Law of Moses, enquired of God. "Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan." (2 Chronicles 34:15) "Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord which is poured out on us because our fathers have not observed the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book." (2 Chronicles 34:21) "“Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. “Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants.” ’ ” And they brought back word to the king." (2 Chronicles 34:27–28)
Accelerated reforms after divine reassurance	"Now when Asa heard these words and the prophecy which Azariah the son of Oded the prophet spoke, he took courage and removed the abominable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities which he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He then restored the altar of the Lord which was in front of the porch of the Lord." (2 Chronicles 15:8)	"Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers." (2 Chronicles 34:33) "Then Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover animals on the fourteenth day of the first month." (2 Chronicles 35:1)
Challenges prophet of God at end of life	"At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. “Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time." (2 Chronicles 16:7–10)	"But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you.”" (2 Chronicles 35:21)
Death and disease are the result.	"In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians." (2 Chronicles 16:12)	"However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo. The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.”" (2 Chronicles 35:22–23)

8. Kings during Jeremiah's ministry:

Jeremiah	629-561 BC	Levite priest, son of Hilkiah	started his ministry in 629 BC, the 13th year of Josiah
Josiah	640-609 BC	Birth was prophesied in 931 BC: 1 Kings 13:1-2	Was killed by Pharaoh Neco II. Righteous Josiah didn't believe God had talked to Neco, and it cost him his life.
Neco II	610-562 BC	King of Egypt	God spoke directly to him and was with him in his battles. Neco warned Josiah he was on a mission from God after Battle of Carchemish.
Nebuchadnezzar	605-562 BC	King of Babylon	God communicated with him and he was God's agent to punish Judah for idolatry. Battle of Carchemish tablet records capture of Jerusalem.
Jehoahaz	3 months, 609 BC	Josiah's son Jehoiakim's younger brother	Was appointed by the people but deposed and deported by Pharaoh Neco II.
Jehoiakim	609-598 BC	Josiah's son Jehoahaz's older brother	Was appointed by Pharaoh Neco II. He burned the Bible scrolls of Jeremiah.
Jehoiachin (Coniah)	3 months, 9 Dec 598 - 16 March 597 BC	Jehoiakim's son	Deported to Babylon. God forbid any of his descendants from sitting on the throne of David IN JUDEA, including Jesus. (Jer 22:24-30; Acts 2:29ff)
Zedekiah	16 March 597-587 BC	Josiah's son Jehoahaz's brother Jehoiakim's brother Jehoiachin uncle	Rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and sought the help of Pharaoh Hophra (Apries). Son's executed, blinded and deported to Babylon.
Hophra (Apries)	589-570 BC	King of Egypt	Came to help Zekekiah in Jerusalem but retreated from Nebuchadnezzar.
Gedaliah	4 months, 587 BC	son of Ahikam grandson of Shaphan	Appointed governor by Nebuchadnezzar. Was assassinated by Baalis, king of Ammon.
Baalis	587 BC	King of Ammon	Sent Ishmael to kill Gedaliah.

I. Jeremiah the prophet: 629-561 BC

1. Jeremiah was not the son of Hilkiah the High priest:

a. We have Jeremiah, a youth prophet like Samuel, sent to warn of the destruction of the temple.

b. A resident from Anathoth where the descendants of Eli were banished by David and dismissed forever from being high priest.

c. This answers the question definitively that Jeremiah's father, Hilkiah, was not the same as the Hilkiah the high priest who would find the book of the law in the temple.

2. Jeremiah was likely the same age as Josiah and they grew up together.

a. Jeremiah became active when he and Josiah were 19 years old, the year Josiah began purging idols.

b. Jeremiah was the central prophet of the Babylonian captivity, before, during and after.

3. Jeremiah, like Josiah, was an outsider because he descended from the Eli line of high priests from Anathoth who were deposed by David according to the prophecy of Samuel.

a. "The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month." (Jeremiah 1:1-3)

b. "It is likely that these priests of Anathoth were descendants of Eli and Abiathar, priests who at one time presided over worship before the Ark but who were exiled to Anathoth early in the reign of Solomon. This places Jeremiah in a rather unusual position as there is an almost automatic antagonism between Jeremiah and the Zadokite priests who preside over temple worship. This inbred antagonism explains the bitterness one senses in some of the conversations between Jeremiah and the temple priests (e.g., Jer 20:1–6; 29:24–32)." (NIV commentary, Jer 1:1, 2002 AD)

4. Both Josiah and Jeremiah were at war with the religious establishment and the idol worship that was rampant among the people.

a. Josiah destroyed the high places of worship, killed the false priests and did his best to reestablish fundamentalist Mosaic Judaism. This set him was war with the leaders and he became hated by the people.

b. Jeremiah was the mouth of God who condemned kings, idolatrous priests, false prophets and the masses who refused to obey God.

c. Jeremiah also prophesied everything king, priest and people knew, would be utterly destroyed by the Babylonians.

5. Josiah and Jeremiah mirror the ministry of Jesus, the apostles and all Christians today who are a tiny minority condemning the world, false religion and warning about impending judgement destruction from God.

6. Dating the sequential chapters of Jeremiah:

Reference	Date	Comment
1:1-3	Composed after Av 587 BC	Superscription
1:4-3:5	Tishri 629—Adar 628 BC	Thirteenth scar of Josiah
3:6-6:30	641-610 BC	During Josiah's reign
7-19	Undated (Zedekiah's reign?)	No date given at 7:1
20	597-587 BC	During Zedekiah's reign
21-23	10 Tebeth 589-9 Tammuz 587 BC	During siege of Jerusalem
24	Early 597 BC	After Jeconiah's exile
25	Tishri 606—Elul 605 BC	Fourth year of Jeholakim
26	Late 609 BC	Beginning of Jehoiakim's reign
27-29	Tishri 595—Elul 594 BC	Beginning of Zedekiah's reign
30-31	Undated (Zedekiah's reign?)	No date given at 30:1
32	Nisan—Elul 588 BC	Tenth year of Zedekiah
33-34	Tishri 588—Nisan 587 BC	Jeremiah in court of the guard
35	609-598 BC	During Jehoiakim's reign
36:1-8	Summer/ Autumn 605 BC	Fourth year of Jehoiakim
36:9-32	Kislev 605 BC	Fifth Year of Jehoiakim
37-38	10 Tebeth 589	Zedekiah begins to reign
39-40	Composed after Av 587 RC	Historical narrative
41-43	Composed after Tishri 587 BC	Historical narrative
44	After Tishri 587 BC	After 41-43 (cf. 44:1)
45	Tishri 606—Elul 605 BC	Fourth year of Jehoiakim
46-47	641-610 BC	During Josiah's reign
48-51	Undated (after 9 lammuz 587 BC)	No date given at 48:1
52	Composed after 561 BC	Historical narrative
Chart Source: "From Abraham to Paul", Andrew Steinman, 2011 AD

7. Chronological chapters of Jeremiah with reigns of Kings:

Josiah: 640-609 BC	640-609 BC: C1-6
Josiah: 640-609 BC	609 BC: C46-47
Jehoiakim: 609- 9 December 598 BC	609 BC: C26
Jehoiakim: 609- 9 December 598 BC	605 BC: C25, C35-36 C45
Jehoiachin: (Coniah) 9 Dec 598- 16 March 597	597 BC: 13:18-27; 22:20-30
Zedekiah: 597-587 BC	597 BC: C7-20, 24
	595 BC: C27-31
	589 BC: C37-38
	588 BC: C32
	587 BC: C21-23,C33-34
Gedaliah: 587 BC	586 BC: C39-44;C48-51
Gedaliah: 587 BC	561 BC: 52

II. Samuel, Jeremiah, Josiah parallels:

Samuel	Jeremiah	Josiah
Child of Miracle: Chosen providentially by God as a prophet as a result of Hannah's answered prayer.	Chosen child: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)	The Promised child: "Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name" (1 Kings 13:2)
Prophesied the extinction of Eli priesthood and destruction of the Shiloh Temple: 1 Samuel 2:33	Prophesied 587 BC destruction of Solomon's temple.	Had been told that the temple would be destroyed after he died because of idolatry.
Age 8 when God first talked to him and Shiloh was destroyed.	Age 8 when Josiah became king.	Josiah became king at age 8
It is possible that Samuel was 19 years old when Shiloh was destroyed.	Jeremiah received his first prophecies when he was 19. (Jer 1:2)	Josiah began purging the Idols at age 19.
Prophesied the removal of the Eli dynasty from being high priest.	Jeremiah was a descendant of Eli's priesthood being a resident of Anathath. (Jer 1:1)

III. The context of Jeremiah, Nahum, Zephaniah:

1. The book of Jeremiah: Jeremiah was an outcast descended from the disgraced Eli bloodline priesthood of Shiloh warning that just as Shiloh had been destroyed for Idolatry, so too would Solomon's temple be destroyed.

2. The book of Nahum prophecies the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC.

a. A date for the book is likely after the reforms of Josiah in 629 BC but before the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC.

b. Nineveh is modern Mosul, Iraq that made the new recently as a town Muslim Koranic terrorists (ISIS) gave the entire population of 60,000 Christians an option to either convert, pay the "dhimmi tax" or die. They chose option 4: flee. The Muslims made news in early 2015 AD when they destroyed the tomb of Jonah and demolished 3000 year old statues and artifacts in the local museum, selling what they could for guns, steel cages and gasoline.

c. Nineveh is the city that Jonah cried against and repented. This time it is different.

d. Nineveh is the capital city of Assyria from which Shalmaneser V launched his attack on Israel resulting in the extinction of the 10 northern tribes of Israel in 723 BC.

e. Nineveh is the location of the famous palace of Sennacherib who attacked Hezekiah in 701 BC (2 Ki 18:13).

f. "Quite possibly Nahum was the man who broke this silence. It is generally agreed that his prophecy dates between the fall of Thebes of Egypt about 664 b.c. and the fall of Nineveh in 612. This firm conclusion is based on Nahum’s allusion to the fall of No-Amon, which is Thebes (Nah. 3:8), and his anticipation of the fall of Nineveh, which is the central subject of his prophecy. A precise date between these brackets is more difficult to locate. But the time should combine at least the following two features: (1) Ashurbanipal would probably still be reigning, since Nahum characterizes Nineveh as being in “full strength” (Nah. 1:12). His rule ended in 627. (2) Judah may be in a period of reform, since Nahum says little to denounce their sin. This circumstance would fit the last years of Manasseh in which he made an effort at reform (ca. 650–642) or the time of Josiah’s reforms (ca. 628–609)." (The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, O. P. Robertson, NIV commentary, p30, 1990)

3. The book of Zephaniah was written in during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC).

a. A more specific date just after the discovery of the lost book of the law seems likely giving a date of 622 BC.

THIS PROPHECIES THE DESCTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 587 NOT THE SECOND COMING AND THE END OF THE WORLD: "Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord’s wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame, Before the decree takes effect— The day passes like the chaff— Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you. Seek the Lord, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger." (Zephaniah 1:14–2:3)

c. Zephaniah has been abused the tortured as a source text for the end of the world predictions of Harold Camping and other premillennialists.

d. The book highlights in vivid apocalyptic language, the impending destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC by the Babylonians. This same language is used throughout the Bible against other destructions of nations including: Jerusalem, Babylon, Egypt and Edom.

Prophecy

Prophetic language used

Fulfilled

Zeph 1:7,

14-16

622 BC

-Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly

-a day of wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation, darkness,

gloom, clouds, thick darkness

-a day of trumpet and battle cry

Jerusalem

587 BC

Isa 13:1,6-13

730 BC

-the day of the Lord is near

-hands fall limp, man's hearts melt, terror

-stars of heaven and constellations will not flash forth their light, sun

dark when it rises, moon not shed light, heavens shake, earth tremble

Babylon

539 BC

Isa 19:1

730 BC

-Lord riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt

-the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence

Egypt

480 BC

Isa 34:4-5

730 BC

-all host of heaven (stars) will wear away

-sky rolled up like a scroll, all their hosts will wither

Edom

before 400BC

Ezek 30:3-4

593 BC

-The day of the Lord is near

-It will be a day of clouds,

Egypt

480 BC

Ezek 32:7-8

593 BC

-I will extinguish Egypt

-heavens covered, stars darkened, cover sun with cloud, moon not give

light shining lights in the heavens will be dark, darkness on the land

Egypt

480 BC

Amos 5:18-20

755 BC

-day of the lord

-it will be darkness and not light, gloom with no brightness in it

Israel

723 BC

Amos 8:9

755 BC

-sun go down at noon

-earth dark in broad daylight

Israel

723 BC

Jer 4:14-16, 19,23-28

6:1,22

626-587BC

-sound of trumpet, alarm of war

-no light, heavens above dark

-Yet I will not execute a complete destruction

-a people is coming from the north, a great nation: Babylon

Jerusalem

587 BC

Joel 2:28 + Acts 2:16

500 BC

-great and awesome day of the Lord

-blood, fire, columns of smoke, sun into darkness, moon into blood,

All Jews

33 AD

Mt 24:29-30

30 AD

-sign of son coming on clouds

-sun darkened, moon turned to blood, stars fall from sky, roaring of sea

& waves, men fainting from fear, heavens shaken

Jerusalem

70 AD

Mt 26:64

30 AD

-Son of man sitting at right hand of power, coming on clouds of heaven

Jerusalem

70 AD

2 Pe 3:10-13

67AD

-Day of Lord will come

-Heavens will pass away with roar, elements destroyed with intense

heat, earth and works burnt up

Second Coming

???? AD

Rev 1:7

96 AD

-Christ is coming with clouds

Second coming

Acts 1:9-11

30 AD

-Christ will return in same way he left...with clouds

Second coming

Gordon Lightfoot

"Black day in July" Folk song regarding American riots

Detroit

1970's

Stock Crash

"Black Monday"

Oct 19, 1987

Gulf War

"Dark day for Iraq"

Iraq 1991

e. Notice the similarity in language between Zephaniah, Zechariah and Matthew in regard to the destruction of Jerusalem:

Two Historical Destruction's of Jerusalem
1st destruction By Babylon in 587 BC		2nd Destruction By Rome in 70AD
Zephaniah 1	Jeremiah 4	Zechariah 14	Matthew 24
V15 A day of darkness, gloom & clouds	4:23,28 no light, heavens dark	V6 in that day there will be no light, the luminaries will dwindle	V29 Sun darkened, moon turned to blood, stars fall from sky
V7,14 Near is the great day of the Lord	6:1,22 a people is coming from the north, a great nation: Babylon	V5 the Lord will come with holy ones	V30 son of man coming on clouds Romans came to destroy V31 send forth angels
V16 A day of trumpet against fortified cities	4:19; 6:1 Sound of trumpet, alarm of war	-	V31 Great trumpet
V15 A day of wrath, trouble distress, destruction, desolation,	4:27; 5:10 Yet not a complete destruction	V2 gather nations against Jerusalem to battle city captured, house plundered, women ravished	Lk 21:20 Jerusalem surrounded by armies Lk 19:41-44 enemies surround you, hem you in, level to ground
-	-	V2 half city exciled half not cut off	Mt 24:40 One left, one taken
-	-	V5 you will flee by the valley of mountains	Lk 21:21 flee to the mountains
Fulfillment: Babylon 587BC 2 Ki 25:1-12		Fulfillment: Rome 70AD Josephus, "Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of fury...Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple." Wars, Book 7:1:1

f. This kind of apocalyptic/symbolic language is also used of the second coming but it is critical to discern the context before spending 100 million dollars on bill boards all over the world and make fools of Christians by making false predictions of the end of the world!

IV. Hilkiah the High priest: Azariah and Hanan:

The two sons of Hilkiah the high priest who found the book of the law:

1. Jeremiah cannot be the son of Hilkiah THE HIGH PRIEST because the descendants of Eli were banished by David and dismissed forever from being high priest. This answers the question definitively that Jeremiah's father, Hilkiah, was not the same as the Hilkiah the high priest who would find the book of the law in the temple. "The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin," (Jeremiah 1:1)

2. "An additional bulla and a seal set in a ring are assigned to two sons of Hilkiah, Josiah’s high priest (Elayi 1992:680–85; Schneider 1988:139–41; 1991:30–33). One son, Azariah, who served as high priest before the Babylonian exile (1 Chr 4:39; 9:11) is connected to the bulla impressed, לעזריהו ב/ן חלקיהו, “(belonging) to Azariabu son of Hilkiahu.” A second son, not mentioned in the Bible, is identified as the owner of the seal engraved, לחנן ב/ן חלקיהו/הכהן (belonging) to Hanan son of Hilkiahu the priest.” Recently, Elayi showed that the same seal-cutter probably carved the seals of Azariahu and Hanan (1992:682–84)." (Royal Officials and Court Families: A New Look at the םיךלי(yĕlādîm) in 1 Kings 12, N. Fox, Biblical Archaeologist: Volume 59 1-4, p 228, 2001 AD)

3. BULLA OF AZARIAH, SON OF HILKIAH: Azariah was the son of Hilkiah the high priest who found the lost book of the law in the temple in 623 BC. There is no information about Azariah, except he is the son of Hilkiah. He is not mentioned in any specific story in the Bible but is listed in genealogies (Ezra 7:1; 1 Chron 6:13). The stunning discovery of this bulla came from an official archeological dig in the city of David in 1982 AD so there is no question about its authenticity.

4. SEAL OF HANAN, SON OF HILKIAH: Hanan is a very common name found in the Bible during the entire time from David down to the time of Nehemiah. This Hanan, however, is specifically unknown to scripture as the son of Hilkiah the high priest. The seal is actually part of a ring, which is typical. This incredible artifact surfaced in the antiquities market in Jerusalem in 1980 AD via an antiquities dealer and is therefore provenanced. Since it was NOT excavated as part of an official archeological dig, there is always the chance it is a fake. However, there are many genuine seals and bullae that surface this way and there is no reason to question its authenticity.

e. Genealogy tree of Hilkiah the high priest:

3. Bulla of Gemariah the son of Shaphan:

a. This seal was also excavated in the official archeological dig in the city of David in 1982 AD.

b. Jemariah was the son of Shaphan. Shaphan was the scribe of Josiah. Ahikam is Josiah's official.

c. "Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, to all the people. Now when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the book, he went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber. And behold, all the officials were sitting there—Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the other officials." (Jeremiah 36:10–12)

d. "Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying," (Jeremiah 36:25–27)

5. Neco II (610-595 BC) King of Egypt who killed Josiah.

a. YHWH directly communicated with Neco II to attack and defeat Nebuchadnezzar in the Battle of Carchemish in 609 BC. Josiah simply didn't believe that HIS God would give such a directive to a pagan king. Josiah was wrong. God also directly communicated with Nebuchadnezzar on several occasions.

b. For detailed discussion, see below. Here is a statue of Neco II.

V. Archeology of Josiah: Documents, Seals, Bulla:

For full outline of seals and bullae click here

1. THANK YOU NEBUCHADNEZZAR FOR BURNING JERUSALEM!

a. Fire turns fragile clay bullae into indestructible pottery!

2. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the entire city with fire and if he had not, most of the archeological information found in this outline regarding Josiah would have been lost forever.

3. The recent archeological digs in the city of David in Jerusalem have excavated hundreds of these bulla.

4. So thanks to Nebuchadnezzar, we have discovered the royal archive of documents and clay seals now transformed into hard pottery.

5. For a full outline on the archeology of seals and bullae click here.

6. Archeological information about the seals of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah the high priest and Gemariah ben Shaphan:

a. "Among a horde of 51 seal impressions discovered in the 587 b.c. destruction level of Jerusalem is one which reads, “Belonging to Gemariah ben Shaphan” (Shiloh 1984: 19–20). The identification of this individual with the Gemariah of Jeremiah 36 appears certain, which then provides striking confirmation of Gemariah’s activities during Judah’s last days, as well as the authority which he had to seal official documents and other records." (ABD, Gemariah)

b. "During the 1982 season at the City of David excavations in Jerusalem, 51 bullae (later revised to 53) were discovered in Locus 967 in Area G. This is the “first time that so large a group of easily legible Hebrew sealings has come to light in a controlled excavation, in a clear stratigraphic context and accompanied by architectural, ceramic and historical evidence” (Shiloh 1986:16-17)." (Signed, Sealed and Delivered: An Archaeological Exposition of Jeremiah 32:1-15, Associates for Bible Research, Gordon Franz, 2010 AD)

c. "The bulla of Gemariah son of Shaphan was found in the famous Area G in the City of David excavations under the supervision of Jane Cahill and David Tarler. It is part of a hoard of 51 bullae, the only collection of bullae ever found in a stratified context in Israel. The bullae were uncovered in stratum 10, the level sealed by the Babylonian conquest, so they can be securely dated to the period just before the destruction of the city in 587/586 B.C.E. Since we don’t know where the collection of bullae with the names of Baruch and Yerahme’el came from, the fact that they lived just before the Babylonian destruction of the city was used to date the bullae. The City of David bullae, however, are dated by their stratum and by the pottery found at that level, a situation far preferable for archaeologists. The discovery of a Biblical name of the same period then helps to confirm the date. " (Six Biblical Signatures: Seals and seal impressions of six biblical personages recovered, Tsvi Schneider, BAR, 1991 AD)

d. "However, it is on a bulla found among a hoard of 51 bullae in the City of David that we find the only name of a character known from Scripture firmly tied to a specific location. It bears the name of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, from whose office Baruch the scribe read the prophecies of Jeremiah in the hearing of all the people (Jer 36:10)." (Archaeological Discoveries In Jerusalem, Leen and Kathleen Ritmeyer, Bible and Spade, Volume 10, Page 12, 1997 AD)

e. "The seal impression on the bulla of Azariah son of Hilkiah meets the first two requirements: son and father are the same on the bulla and in the Bible. The chronologies also fit—both the bulla and the Biblical context are securely dated to the period before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, the bulla by a stratified context in a carefully controlled excavation. Another factor that bears on the identification, it seems to me, is that the bulla of Gemariah son of Shaphan was also found in this hoard. From the Bible, we know that Shaphan was the royal scribe and Hilkiah was high priest in 622 B.C.E.: “And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe ‘I have found a book of Teaching [Deuteronomy, according to modern critics] in the House of the Lord’” (2 Kings 22:8). Azariah, son of Hilkiah, must therefore have served as high priest sometime between 622 and 587/586 B.C.E., when the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. According to Jeremiah 36, Gemariah, son of Shaphan, was in office in 605/604 B.C.E., 20 years before the destruction of the Temple. So both Biblically and archaeologically, Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Azariah, son of Hilkiah, were contemporaries. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the bullae of both were found in the same hoard." (Six Biblical Signatures: Seals and seal impressions of six biblical personages recovered, Tsvi Schneider, BAR, 1991 AD)

f. "Notably, members of the Shaphan and Neriah families often have their grandfather’s name included in their patronymic, suggesting at least three generations of dignitaries. This phenomenon occurs for the following names: Shaphan son of Azaliah son of Meshullam, Josiah’s scribe (2 Kgs 22:3); Micaiah son of Gemariah son of Shaphan, an official of Jehoiakim (Jer 36:11); Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, the governor of Judah after the Babylonian conquest (2 Kgs 25:22); Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, Jeremiah’s scribe; and his brother Seriah son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, Zedekiah’s quartermaster (Jer 32:12; 51:59). Importantly, several seal impressions and seals discovered this century have been assigned tentatively to members of these court families. They include: two bullae impressed, לברכיהו/בן נריהו/הספר, “(belonging) to Berekiahu son of Neriahu the scribe,” which are associated with Baruch the scribe (Avigad 1978a:52–56; Deutsch and Heltzer 1994:37–38); a seal engraved, לשריהו/נריהו “(belonging) to Seriahu (son of) Neriahu,” whose owner is identified as Baruch’s brother Seriah (Avigad 1978b:86–87); a bulla impressed, לגמריהו/בן שפן, “(belonging) to Gemariahu son of Shaphan,” which is associated with Zedekiah’s scribe Gemariah (Shiloh 1986:16–38); a bulla imprinted לגדליהו /אשר על הבית, “(belonging) to Gedaliahu the house minister,” which is connected to Gedaliah the governor of Judah (de Vaux 1936:96–102). An additional bulla and a seal set in a ring are assigned to two sons of Hilkiah, Josiah’s high priest (Elayi 1992:680–85; Schneider 1988:139–41; 1991:30–33). One son, Azariah, who served as high priest before the Babylonian exile (1 Chr 4:39; 9:11) is connected to the bulla impressed, לעזריהו ב/ן חלקיהו, “(belonging) to Azariabu son of Hilkiahu.” A second son, not mentioned in the Bible, is identified as the owner of the seal engraved, לחנן ב/ן חלקיהו/הכהן (belonging) to Hanan son of Hilkiahu the priest.” Recently, Elayi showed that the same seal-cutter probably carved the seals of Azariahu and Hanan (1992:682–84)." (Royal Officials and Court Families: A New Look at the םיךלי(yĕlādîm) in 1 Kings 12, N. Fox, Biblical Archaeologist: Volume 59 1-4, p 228, 2001 AD)

623 BC

Hilkiah finds book of Law of Moses

VI. Finding the lost book of the Law of Moses:

1. The "lost book of the Law" was in fact the Law of Moses place beside the Ark of the Covenant:

a. "Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you." (Deuteronomy 31:26)

b. The temple of Solomon had many store rooms and this was probably tucked away at the time of Solomon in the same room as the original brass wash basis Moses had commissioned and the remnants of the original temple from Sinai-Shiloh-Nob-Gibeon.

2. Verses about Hilkiah the High priest at the time of Josiah: 2 Kgs 22:4-14; 23:4; 1 Chr 5:39; 6:13; 9:11

a. "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may count the money brought in to the house of the Lord which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. “Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the Lord to repair the damages of the house, to the carpenters and the builders and the masons and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. “Only no accounting shall be made with them for the money delivered into their hands, for they deal faithfully.” Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her." (2 Kings 22:4–14)

b. "Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel." (2 Kings 23:4)

c. "and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah," (1 Chronicles 6:13)

d. "and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief officer of the house of God;" (1 Chronicles 9:11)

3. Finding the lost book followed the decision to get right with God and become obedient in word and deed.

a. Josiah first set his heart to please God and then God provided the written message to instruct him.

b. Josiah is the most important restoration king in the Bible who brought about renewed adherence and obedience to the word of God.

c. "Before him [Josiah] there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him." (2 Kings 23:25)

d. Hilkiah the high priest finds the book of the law of Moses and gives it to Shaphan the scribe who reads it.

e. Shaphan comes to the king and announces that Hilkiah has found a book and read it to Josiah.

4. Josiah did not need the word of God explained the word of God to him. it was easily understood as he heard it

a. "By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ," (Ephesians 3:4)

b. "Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”" (2 Kings 22:13)

c. Josiah tore his cloths realizing how evil Judah was in the sight of God.

d. Josiah must have wondered how at age 26, he and the entire nation could have drifted so far from the will of God.

5. The word is always near:

a. Like many today, they learn in adult life for the first time, that they are disobedient to the will of God and like Josiah, the Bible was always nearby.

b. "And you shall again obey the Lord, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. “Then the Lord your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the Lord your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it." (Deuteronomy 30:8–14)

"But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Romans 10:6–10)

6. Josiah sought the specific counsel of God when he read the book, as we must:

a. Josiah realized that God had done his part in keeping his promise, "the word is always near" and "Seek and you will find" etc.

b. "“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)

c. "For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, “Seek Me that you may live. “But do not resort to Bethel And do not come to Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity And Bethel will come to trouble. “Seek the Lord that you may live, Or He will break forth like a fire, O house of Joseph, And it will consume with none to quench it for Bethel, For those who turn justice into wormwood And cast righteousness down to the earth.”" (Amos 5:4–7)

d. In judgement men will be without excuse because we all had access to a Bible in all ages if we really wanted to find one.

VII. The great different between Christians and the world:

Comparing the people of 630-609 BC as seen through the eyes of four contemporary prophets: Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk; to the people of today

1. People societies are destroyed when they are not following the Bible

a. "Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will reprove you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter For you to forsake the Lord your God, And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts." (Jeremiah 2:19)

b. "Yet I planted you a choice vine, A completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me Into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?" (Jeremiah 2:21)

c. "“In vain I have struck your sons; They accepted no chastening. Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion." (Jeremiah 2:30)

d. "An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him." (Isaiah 1:3-4)

e. "Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge" (Isaiah 5:13)

f. "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law." (Proverbs 29:18)

c. "So the people without understanding are ruined." (Hosea 4:14)

"I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but with justice; Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing." (Jeremiah 10:23-24)
"Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city! She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, She did not draw near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law." (Zephaniah 3:1-4)

2. Idolatry is a grave and STUPID sin:

a. "Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, And not their face; But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’" (Jeremiah 2:27)

b. "Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees." (Jeremiah 3:9)

c. "“It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’" (Jeremiah 5:19)

3. The world thinks different than the people of God:

The world	Christians
Narrow minded	Obey the bible
Same sex marriage	Perversion
Nonviable human tissue	unborn baby
"shocking" that the courts would take away three girls aged 10-13 from their mother and award sole custody to the father because she spent 10 years brainwashed the kids he was evil.	"shocking" it was't stopped 10 years earlier when the father first complained!
CAS labelling gospel preacher's unfit parents for headship, spanking, and training children and giving every gay couple who applies children.	When right is wrong and wrong is right
Media and Obama refuses to label ISIS "Islamic, Koran motivated terrorists" and says Christians have been terrorists in the past during the crusades. (defensive: wife gets raped 10 times, then you arm yourself and hunt the guy down)	Christians know that only Satan would invent a religion with a primary doctrine that denies Jesus shed his blood on the cross and kills those who do believe the gospel of blood atonement by the Divine Son of God
When a young man converts to Islam they must die for Allah, are trained in bomb making, behead and burn outsiders alive in a cage.	When a young man converts to Christianity he learns to pray and turn the other cheek, try to teach outsiders and obey the God who died for them.
The pregnancy of an unmarried woman is celebrated as a beautiful, great and happy event.	It is shame, disgrace for the mother and an utter disaster for the beautiful, innocent child.
ANTI-CAPITAL PUNISHEMENT: Pedophiles suffer from an evolutionary, biological and genetic disease "Reptilian Complex" for which they cannot be held responsible for and need counselling and no more than 3 months in jail.	Restore capital punishment just as Romans 13 says.
CAS views spanking as evil, yet forces 99% of the children under their control to take Ritalin, anti-depressants and SSRI's which function as chemical lobotomy's which rob the children of emotion, life, creativity.	Grandpappy surely wasn't wrong. God said it, I believe it, that settles it.
Legalize drugs	Insane. Haven't we just spent the last 50 years telling our children drugs are bad?
Truants from school	Homeschoolers
Teachers who use flash cards for math or drill students to teach them spelling are fired but its ok to demonstrate how to roll a condom onto the arm of a child in grade 3. Few can do the three "R's" when they graduate high school.	Homeschoolers have the only kids that can spell, know their times tables and read the write by the time they enter high school.
Supreme courts judge based upon personal ideology, political and moral views and totally ignore the law itself. Judges always vote based upon their Liberal/conservative, left/right views in spite of how a law reads.	Judges are not lawmakers but law upholders.

2. True ministers of God are hated because the message of the Bible is opposite to what the masses think:

a. After being placed in stocks, beaten and released Jeremiah complains to God: "O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it. For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten. Yet, O Lord of hosts, You who test the righteous, Who see the mind and the heart; Let me see Your vengeance on them; For to You I have set forth my cause. Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord! For He has delivered the soul of the needy one From the hand of evildoers. Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, “A baby boy has been born to you!” And made him very happy. But let that man be like the cities Which the Lord overthrew without relenting, And let him hear an outcry in the morning And a shout of alarm at noon; Because he did not kill me before birth, So that my mother would have been my grave, And her womb ever pregnant. Why did I ever come forth from the womb To look on trouble and sorrow, So that my days have been spent in shame?" (Jeremiah 20:7–18)

b. Opposite message to human wisdom: "“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. “He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty." (Jeremiah 21:8-9)

c. This message echoes Jesus' words about fleeing Jerusalem when the Roman's surround it with armies. "“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled." (Luke 21:20–22)

d. Christians living in Muslim countries suffer a kind of exile like the Jews in Babylon and CANNOT worship openly in peace and long for what we enjoy now in North America. "“I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts [because they are in Babylon and cannot]— They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them." (Zephaniah 3:18)

e. God makes this promise: "“At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the Lord." (Zephaniah 3:20)

3. Like today's preachers, the Jewish priests were at fault for "catering to the whims" of the majority totally ignoring the word of God:

a. "“The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me, And the prophets prophesied by Baal And walked after things that did not profit." (Jeremiah 2:8)

b. "Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; Her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law." (Zephaniah 3:4)

c. "Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night, and I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; they changed their glory into shame. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways, and repay them for their deeds. They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply; because they have forsaken the Lord to devote themselves to whoredom. Wine and new wine take away the understanding." (Hosea 4:4-11)

d. "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

4. Masses: "Stagnant in spirit, rebellious and defiled": Today the masses are exactly like the time of Josiah even though he took dramatic steps to restore the truth and God sent them 5 prophets:

a. Sexual immorality is rampant: "They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife." (Jeremiah 5:8)

b. “It will come about at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, Who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’" (Zephaniah 1:12)

c. "‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed." (Jeremiah 5:23)

d. "Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not go up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers." (2 Kings 23:9)

e. "Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the tyrannical city! She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, She did not draw near to her God." (Zephaniah 3:1-2)

f. "Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted." (Habakkuk 1:3-4)

This verse captures the essence of why God sent the Islamic armies to conquer the idolatrous Christians of the Middle east in 642 AD. The Christians were praying to Mary, calling her the "mother of God", venerated statues, images, charms etc which deeply offended God. While the Christians were in need of chastening, the Muslims were much worse, being a religion of Satan. In this way the Muslim invasion is an echo of the 587 BC Destruction of Jerusalem: "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?" (Habakkuk 1:13)
Sin becomes normalized and accepted like in Sodom and Gomorrah: “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord." (Jeremiah 6:15)

They reject the warnings of Christians about the coming judgement like the time of Noah, the Babylonian captivity, destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and the second coming!

"They have lied about the Lord And said, “Not He; Misfortune will not come on us, And we will not see sword or famine. “The prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!”" (Jeremiah 5:12–13)

The worlds focuses on outward physical beauty while rotting with sin on the inside:

"And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your lovers despise you; They seek your life." (Jeremiah 4:30)
"The comely (beautiful) and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off." (Jeremiah 6:2) Same word for beauty as used of Agishag in Song of Solomon 1:5

Rich and poor are equally evil:

People today are rich, well fed, entertained, living in luxury BUT REJECT GOD.
How many of our friends and family refuse to attend church?
On many occasions, we put out 120,000 invitations through direct mail to worship God with us and not one responds!
People are "too rich" to need God.
"O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth? You have smitten them, But they did not weaken; You have consumed them, But they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent. Then I said, “They are only the poor, They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord Or the ordinance of their God. “I will go to the great [rich] And will speak to them, For they know the way of the Lord And the ordinance of their God.” But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke And burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest will slay them, A wolf of the deserts will destroy them, A leopard is watching their cities. Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, Because their transgressions are many, Their apostasies are numerous." (Jeremiah 5:3–6)
"‘Like a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit; Therefore they have become great and rich. ‘They are fat, they are sleek, They also excel in deeds of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; And they do not defend the rights of the poor." (Jeremiah 5:27–28)
"I spoke to you in your prosperity; But you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your practice from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice." (Jeremiah 22:21)

VIII. How should the righteous react in such evil times?

As tormented souls, rise up and demand God judge the wicked we live among:

a. Habakkuk's soul was tormented like lot: "If God rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment," (2 Peter 2:7-9)

b. Habakkuk accused God of doing nothing to punish the wicked: "How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes out perverted." (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

c. Keep in mind that if we demand God punish the sinful society we live in today, that usually means the destruction of the entire nation and occupation by a foreign power more evil than the one we live in. Habakkuk never dreamed the Babylonians would be God's rod of chastening for Judah.

2. Be faithful living among the lost, holding firm to the ancient Bible blueprint:

The righteous shall live by faith: "Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4)

b. "Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’" (Jeremiah 6:16)

3. Be wise and silent living among the lost:

"They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity. Therefore because you impose heavy rent on the poor And exact a tribute of grain from them, Though you have built houses of well-hewn stone, Yet you will not live in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, yet you will not drink their wine. For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate. Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time." (Amos 5:10–13)
"I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us." (Habakkuk 3:16)

4. Be humble living among the lost:

“But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, And they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong And tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble.”" (Zephaniah 3:12-13)

5. Be patient waiting for God, while living among the lost:

a. "Therefore wait for Me,” declares the Lord, “For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal. “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder." (Zephaniah 3:8-9)

6. Rejoice while living among the lost:

Have David's attitude when Saul hunted him: "Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments." (Habakkuk 3:18-19) Echoes David: "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;" (Psalm 46:1-2)
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:4-6)

7. Be bold because you are judging the lost:

h. "“I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, That you may know and assay their way.”" (Jeremiah 6:27)

8. Realize that without you living among the lost, they are doomed like Lot leaving Sodom:

a. “Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, Then I will pardon her." (Jeremiah 5:1)

9. Be at peace without fear for God will save you:

a. "But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear, Nor be dismayed, O Israel! For, see, I am going to save you from afar, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be undisturbed And secure, with no one making him tremble." (Jeremiah 46:27)

10. Three times God told Jeremiah NOT to pray to him about blessing Judah and prospering:

a. "As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you. “Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to spite Me." (Jeremiah 7:16–18)

b. "For your gods are as many as your cities, O Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster." (Jeremiah 11:13–14)

c. "So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. “When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence.”" (Jeremiah 14:11–12)

d. It may be that we have reached the point of "critical mass" where the USA and Canada and Europe are so sinful and immoral and corrupt, that we should stop saying, "God bless America" until they repent!

IX. The Shiloh/Israel = Jerusalem/Judah message of Jeremiah:

1. Remember that Jeremiah was of the Eli priestly bloodline and may, in fact, have been high priest had God not taken the priesthood away and given it to the Zakok family.

2. "Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. “I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. “And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. “Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees." (Jeremiah 3:6–9)

3. "For a voice declares from Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim (Bethel)." (Jeremiah 4:15)

X. How God punishes a wicked nation that has forsaken Him:

1. Drought: Withhold water from the land: "the early and late rains"

a. "And you have polluted a land With your harlotry and with your wickedness. “Therefore the showers have been withheld, And there has been no spring rain. Yet you had a harlot’s forehead; You refused to be ashamed." (Jeremiah 3:2–3)

b. Men attempted to thwart the punishment of drought by building cisterns but God caused them to leak and be useless: “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13)

2. God brings hardships, high taxes, stock market crashes, natural disasters:

a. The cost of sin to Canada and USA is huge: thefts, high policing, court and jail costs, welfare payments to the lazy or single unwed mothers, sexually transmitted diseases affect 1 in 2 of people under age 25 costing 20 billion dollars to treat and the direct cause of infertility in 15% of all infertile women.

b. STD's are the penalty God inflicts on the sexually immoral: "men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty (STD's) of their error." (Romans 1:27)

c. "Therefore, thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am laying stumbling blocks before this people. And they will stumble against them, Fathers and sons together; Neighbor and friend will perish.”" (Jeremiah 6:21)

3. Conquering by a foreign nation:

a. The USA, Canada, Spain, France, England have abandoned God.

b. Weekly church attendance is at an all-time low: USA 20%, Canada 5%, most of Europe 1 %.

c. The time will come when Europe will be an Islamic Caliphate under Sariah law!

d. The USA will surely be attacked in a nuclear-armed Islamic Jihad!

e. It happened to Israel in 723 BC and Judah in 587 BC and again by the Romans in 70 AD!

f. If God destroys his chosen nation, how much more will be destroy us if we refuse to come to national repentance!

g. "Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord. “It is an enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say. “Their quiver is like an open grave, All of them are mighty men. “They will devour your harvest and your food; They will devour your sons and your daughters; They will devour your flocks and your herds; They will devour your vines and your fig trees; They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust." (Jeremiah 5:15–17)

609 BC

Neco II kills Josiah: 2 Chronicles 35:20-23
disposes and deports Jehoahaz (Shallum) and installs Jehoiakim (Eliakim) as king: 2 Ki 23:30-31

XI. Pharaoh Neco II kills Josiah at age 39:

In one of the strangest stories in the Bible, wicked idolatrous King Neco II of Egypt warns the "righteous promised child" Josiah to go home and not to fight against him. Josiah did not believe that YHWH had indeed directly communicated with and send Neco II on a special military mission to defeat Nebuchadnezzar in the Battle of Carchemish. Josiah was killed before the battle of Carchemish at Megiddo by an arrow shot by Neco II’s army at Megiddo.

This story is eerily similar to how wicked Ahab, king of Israel.

1. Both Abab and Josiah were warned by God not to go to battle.

2. Both disobeyed a prophet of God.

3. Both disguised themselves and went to war.

4. Both were killed by an arrow.

5. Both said the identical words: "take me away I am severely wounded."

1. God speaks to the most righteous king in history through a pagan King and it cost him his life! During this time God used and communicated with two pagan kings: Pharaoh Neco II who killed Josiah after warning him in 610 BC and Nebuchadnezzar who conquered Judah in 587 BC.

a. ^"Then the king of Egypt sent the following message to him: “What have we to do with each other, O king of Judah? ²⁵I have not been sent out by the Lord God [YHWH] against you; rather my war is on the Euphrates. Now the Lord is with me, and the Lord who is with me is driving me on; so restrain yourself and do not resist the Lord.” Nevertheless Josiah did not return to his chariot but attacked him; paying no attention to [the] words of the prophet Jeremiah [which came] from the mouth of the Lord, ²⁷he engaged him in battle on the plain of Megiddo where the leaders came against King Josiah. (1 Esdras 1:24-27)

2. Other pagan kings were considered God's agents, servants, even "anointed"

a. "Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. “I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. … "“I have aroused him in righteousness And I will make all his ways smooth; He will build My city and will let My exiles go free, Without any payment or reward,” says the Lord of hosts." (Isaiah 45:1-3,13, 730 BC)

"“Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. “All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant." (Jeremiah 27:6–7)

c. God talked directly to Nebuchadnezzar: "The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ “While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’" (Daniel 4:30–32)

3. God spoke to Josiah through the mouth of Pharaoh Neco II to not engage him in war but Josiah refused to believe that God was with Neco II.

a. "After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you.” However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo. The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.”" (2 Chronicles 35:20–23)

4. Josiah was killed at Megiddo before the battle of Carchemish in 609 BC.

a. "In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at Megiddo." (2 Kings 23:29)

b. "Neco was on his way to Carchemish making his way up the coast supported and I would guess resupplied along the way by his navy. Josiah met him at Megiddo on the way and was killed there. This delayed Neco II and he arrived too late at Carchemish on the upper Euphrates to reinforce the exiled Assyrian government. The Chaldeans defeated what was pretty much the last Assyrian holdouts at Carchemish and when the Egyptians showed up they were then defeated. On his way back to Egypt Neco deposed Jehoahaz, Josiah’s son, and put Eliakim (Jehoiakim) on the throne in his stead. Shortly afterward the Chaldeans showed up and took Daniel and his companions in the first captivity when they surrendered.” (Lee Wyatt, email, 2018 AD)

c. "There is more here than meets the eye. The Egyptians maintained a garrison at Carchemish on the Euphrates, which held out against the Babylonians until 605 b.c. and were apparently allies of the Assyrians. Neco’s mission was undertaken to support his garrison and so aid the Assyrians. The Babylonian Chronicle refers to an Egyptian crossing of the Euphrates at Carchemish to engage the Babylonians quartered at Quramati from which the latter withdrew forthwith.⁴ Josiah was a supporter of the Babylonians and, despite his defeat at Megiddo, may have altered Neco’s timetable to such an extent that the Assyrians failed in their attempt to retake Harran, the capital of Assyria after the fall of Nineveh. Harran had been overthrown by the Babylonians and Medes in 610." (I and II Esdras: Introduction, translation and commentary, Vol. 42,J. M. Myers, 1 Esdras 1:21-22, 2008 AD)

5. The Ahab/Josiah parallel:

Ahab	Josiah
One of Israel's most evil kings	One of Judah's most righteous kings
Did what was evil in God's eyes	Did what was right in God's eyes
Had a history of listening to false prophets	Had a history of rejecting false prophets
"Micaiah said, “If you [Ahab] indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”" (2 Chronicles 18:27)	"But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you.” (2 Chronicles 35:21)
"The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle." (2 Chronicles 18:29)	"However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo." (2 Chronicles 35:22)
"A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded.”" (2 Chronicles 18:33)	"The archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.”" (2 Chronicles 35:23)
Probably said after he died: "How could I be so stupid"	Probably said after he died: "What just happened? I am confused." This likely the same thing that Jonathan said when he was killed on Mt. Gilboah with his father Saul.

6. Preachers and elders of the church need to keep their ear open from advice from the most unlikely non-Christians they would never suspect God would use to guide and chasten them.

a. Your non-Christian in-laws may provide you with better advice than your Christians friends

b. Your evil, immoral, boss who takes God's name in vain all the time may give you excellent words of wisdom you would be smart to heed.

c. A wicked judge might rebuke your behaviour in a court case.

d. Like "Halley's Comet", a friend who voted for Obama might have good advice once every 50 years!

e. Don't make the mistake Ahab or Josiah made!

f. When all other options are not available, God sometimes talks through a donkey!

XII. Pharaoh Neco II deposes Jehoahaz (Shallum) and installs Jehoiakim (Eliakim) as king

1. Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim (older) were brothers and sons of Josiah their father.

2. After killing Josiah, Neco II returns to Egypt and deports king Jehoahaz to Egypt after three months.

3. Josiah's son Jehoahaz (Shallum) becomes king in 609 BC for 3 months then is deposed and replaced by his older brother Jehoiakim.

"Then the people of the land took Joahaz [Jehoahaz] the son of Josiah, and made him king in place of his father in Jerusalem. Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. Then the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold. The king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Joahaz his brother and brought him to Egypt." (2 Chronicles 36:1–4)

b. "For thus says the Lord in regard to Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; but in the place where they led him captive, there he will die and not see this land again." (Jeremiah 22:11–12)

c. "Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him [Jehoahaz] at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a fine of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away and brought him to Egypt, and he died there." (2 Kings 23:33-34)

4. Forgery: Seal of Jehoahaz, king and son of Josiah 2 Ki 23:30-31, 609 BC

FAKE:

Outline on the Forgery of the seal of Jehoahaz,

son of the king.

XIII. Messianic hope of restoration of Judah and Israel in Christ, in the church:

1. "Then I will give you shepherds [apostles, church elders] after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. “It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. “At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. “In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance." (Jeremiah 3:15–18)

Conclusion:

1. Josiah and Jeremiah were born the same year and appointed by God to be the final effort to save Jerusalem from destruction.

a. Jeremiah represented the will and voice of God and Josiah physical represented God on earth as a force that destroyed idols and restored the Law.

2. Josiah was the most righteous king in history when it came to abhorring Idols and following the Bible as a strict blueprint and pattern.

a. While David was the greatest king to live by faith in the presence of unspeakable persecution from Saul and unparalleled respect for God and his anointed, he was tolerant of the idol worship at Shiloh.

b. David's son Solomon was a terrible idolater until the end of his life when he repented in the self-rebuke books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon.

c. If Josiah lived in the time of David, he would have shut Shiloh down completely and slaughtered all the idolatrous priests.

3. Josiah's life pattern echoed that of righteous Asa, king of Judah and wicked Ahab, king of Israel.

4. We can see from real and verified archeological finds in seals and bullae, that the stories in the Bible are true and represent real history.

5. Josiah was prophesied by name and mission as a restorer 283 years before he was born.

a. His only fault was he disregarded the advice of Neco II (and possibly Jeremiah himself) to turn back from engaging the Egyptian king in battle.

b. This failure in wisdom at best and obedience to God at worst, cost Josiah his life.

c. But the timing of his death worked into God's plan because 4 years after Josiah died, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem.

6. Josiah was the end of the line for God's patience with the kingdom of Judah.

7. Jeremiah mourned and lamented the death of Josiah:

a. "Then Jeremiah chanted a lament for Josiah. And all the male and female singers speak about Josiah in their lamentations to this day. And they made them an ordinance in Israel; behold, they are also written in the Lamentations." (2 Chronicles 35:25)

b. "The breath of our nostrils, the Lord’s anointed, Was captured in their pits, Of whom we had said, “Under his shadow We shall live among the nations.”" (Lamentations 4:20)

c. "Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him, But weep continually for the one who goes away; For he will never return Or see his native land." (Jeremiah 22:10)

8. Josiah was Judah's last hope to avert total destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon.

a. Josiah was safe in heaven but the wicked he left behind would endure the terror of condemnation and the righteous would surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and live for 70 years (605-536 BC) in Babylon.

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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