CAPTIVITY EQUALS GOD’S WORK OVERVIEW
The Lord gave the king of Judah into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands and golden vessels of the house of the Hebrew God, which he carried into the land of Shinar and the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s god. He brought the vessels into the treasure house of his temple. And the king spoke unto Ashpenaz, the master of the eunuchs, telling him that he should bring certain Hebrew children from Israel, preferably those who came from their king’s seed and their princes.
THE CONQUEST
As history reveals, Nebuchadnezzar set out to capture Jerusalem close to the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign; this is where our story begins with Daniel. However, according to Jeremiah, the full conquest of Jerusalem was not accomplished until the ninth month of the following year. Both men being correct, the conquest began in the third year and was finished in the fourth year of king Jehoiakim’s rule.
God certainly had a plan and purpose. It was His Divine plan to make Abraham's descendants the world's leading nation. Furthermore, because of the disobedience of the Hebrew people, God turned His people over to Babylon to be disciplined. Remember in 721 BC when God allowed the ten tribes of Israel to be captured by the king of Assyria? This is yet another round. Then God allowed the 70-year captivity of the other two tribes shortly before Nehemiah’s rule. God used captivity to ignite His next step in setting up the Hebrew nation in both cases, and now we have the third captivity.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S OBSESSION
After God confused the languages of those working on the tower of Babel, many nations sprang forth—Babylon being the primary one. All these nations began to strive for world supremacy, particularly Babylon. Out of Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Ham and his grandson, Nimrod, were the ones who started the rebellious activities that surrounded the tower of Babel. The fact is that Ham hated his two brothers, particularly Shem, who received the blessing of Noah to become the nation of Israel. Not only that, but this nation would be the only nation God would honor. This single blessing became the rhyme and reason for all the battles Israel faced throughout the Old Testament. If you ever need a title for the primary theme of the Old Testament, this is it.
By the time of Daniel, the Babylonian empire had consumed the land of Assyria (Iraq today). Pharoah Neco, king of Egypt, led a massive army against Babylon Nebuchadnezzar ruled on the west bank of the Euphrates River. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful young warrior and strategist, he pushed Neco back to Egypt, giving Nebuchadnezzar the reputation of being the most powerful ruler in the world. The problem: Nebuchadnezzar did not return to Babylon empty-handed after the war, but he plundered the temple of Jerusalem, stealing the golden vessels and kidnapping Jerusalem’s princes of royal blood along with those who were the most intellectual among the Hebrew young men, transporting them to Babylon that they might instruct the Babylonian strategists in the language and tongue of the Chaldeans, which meant another war was coming (2 Kings 24:1-4).
Listen to the full podcast.
The 'End Times Podcast' is an outreach of Identity Matters Productions & IOM America. A podcast helping members of the body of Christ to experience a well-balanced view of modern events and how they apply to Biblical prophecies.
Daniel: Captivity Activates God's Work