Resurrection Life of Jesus Church

THE MYSTERIES OF GOD
King Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah and Coniah) only reigned for three months in Judah when he was taken captive at age 18 and marched to Babylon in 597 BC during the first exile. 2 Kings 24:8-15

Jehoiachin was imprisoned for 37 years until he was released by King Amel-Marduk (rendered Evilmerodach in the Bible), who was one of the sons of Nebuchadnezzar II. There had been a power struggle while Amel-Marduk was crown prince; historians believe that he tried to become king before his father died and was sent to prison.  Historians also believe that he was sent to the same prison in which Jehoiachin was incarcerated and the two became friends.

Amel-Marduk was released from prison after the death of Nebuchadnezzar II and he subsequently became the next king of Babylon in 562 BC and reigned for two years until he was murdered by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar.

One of Amel-Marduk’s first acts was to release Jehoiachin from prison at the age of 55 and appoint him to a political position above the other kings taken captive by his father, who served as an advisory board to the kings of Babylon. Jehoiachin continued in this position until his death. 2 Kings 25:27-30

THE CURSE SPOKEN BY JEREMIAH
Before Jehoiachin (Coniah) was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, God gave a prophetic message to the king and to the people of Judah. Jehoiachin would never return to Jerusalem and his children born in captivity were also banned from the throne in Jerusalem. Jeremiah 22:24-30

THE SONS OF JEHOIACHIN
Jehoiachin had seven sons: Assir, Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 1 Chronicles 3:17-18

Pedaiah was the third son of Jehoiachin and the father of Zerubbabel, making Zerubbabel the grandson of King Jehoiachin. 1 Chronicles 3:19

When King Cyrus II issued the decree that the Jews were free to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the house of the Lord, Sheshbazzar was a prince (political leader) among the Jewish exiles. Ezra 1:8

The Babylonian kings changed the names of people they captured and brought back to Babylon. This was the case with Daniel and his friends. Daniel 1:6-7

Bible scholars believe that Sheshbazzar was a Babylonian name for Shenazar, the fourth son of Jehoiachin. If this is the case, it means that the offspring of Jehoiachin played a major role in the return of the Jews to Jerusalem.

Sheshbazzar was among the first exiles to return to Jerusalem. King Cyrus II appointed him to be governor of Jerusalem. Ezra 5:13-16

The Godhead kept His promise that Jehoiachin’s seed would never sit on the throne of David, but still mercifully allowed a son and grandson of Jehoiachin to be among the leaders of the first return to Jerusalem.

THE SHOWDOWN
When the work on the new temple was stopped, sixty-two years had passed since Zerubbabel arrived at Jerusalem. He was not a young man anymore, and most likely was in his early 80s. Regardless of his age, he restarted the work on the temple in defiance of King Artaxerxes I. Ezra 5:1-2

The pagan governor and political leaders in the northern part of Israel and Syria arrived to Jerusalem and demanded to know who had given the authorization to start rebuilding the temple. verses 3-4

God intervened and Tatnai and his delegation had to return to where they came from.  verse 5

A letter was sent to Darius II. verses 6-16

Tatnai requested that King Darius II search the historical records to see whether the Jews had lied about King Cyrus’ authorization since it had been 107 years since the Persian king died. verse 17

THE SEARCH
King Darius II took Tatnai’s letter seriously and ordered a search of the historical records. The investigation was successful and the records corroborated the Jewish account of why they were rebuilding Jerusalem and the house of the Lord. Ezra 6:1-5

It is obvious that the Godhead got a hold of Darius II in some way because he immediately ordered Tatnai and other political leaders to comply with his instructions after reading the historical account.

Do not interfere with the work of the Jews in Jerusalem. verse 6-7

Take the collected taxes and give it to the Jews. verse 8
Supply the Hebrews with what they need; included among this decree were the animals for sacrifices. verses 9-10

Any person who failed to fulfill the king’s decree would have timbers taken from his house to be fashioned into a scaffold, hung from it, and then his home be made into a dunghill. verses 11-12

THE FEAR OF GOD
Tatnai and the political leaders in Syria and Samaria hastily complied with the king’s command and brought the supplies needed by the Jews. verse 13

FINISHING THE TEMPLE
The temple was finished in 417 BC after the king’s letter was delivered to Tatnai and the necessary supplies began to flow into Jerusalem. This took place 110 years after Zerubbabel and his group had left Babylon. Jehoiachin’s grandson did not live to see the dedication; he had died, but the work he started was completed. verses 14-22

SUMMARY
When the Godhead punished Judah and turned them over to the Babylonians, they still maintained control over the Jewish people. Look at the prominent Jews who became important leaders within the Babylonian government:

Daniel was next to the king in ruling Babylon. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego became the provincial rulers. Daniel 2:49

Jehoiachin was elevated after 37 years of imprisonment to be the head of the advisory board of captive kings. 2 Kings 25:27-28

Sheshbazzar, son of Jehoiachin, was put in charge of the gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem. Ezra 1:8

Zerubbabel, grandson of Jehoiachin, was given authority by King Cyrus II to travel to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. 1 Chronicles 3:19

Nehemiah was a cup bearer to King Artaxerxes II. This was a high-ranking job in the king’s court and Nehemiah was able to secure permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and its walls. Nehemiah 2:1-7

It is important to understand that only a remnant of Jews returned to Jerusalem. The majority of the Jews taken to Babylon settled down to become rich and powerful. By the time of Christ, there were some one million Jews in Babylon.

The Jews that stayed in Babylon were no longer players in the game. They were sidelined with no function in the Kingdom of God. Their lives were wasted as far as God was concerned.

Most Christians are like those Jews of old in Babylon. They are born again, but have no desire to serve God. They only call on God when there is a need. They don’t really love God, and they are much too busy living their lives to be used by the Lord. Many attend church, but they don’t offer anything to the Kingdom of God. They are simply spectators, and in this way, they are wasting their lives.