At that time, only some of the nobility was taken. Daniel and his friends were taken in the first group. Each time he took away more of the people and after the first two times Judah rebelled again only to be once again defeated. etc.īabylon conquered Jerusalem and Judah three times. The United States rose up at the same time to provide a protection and ally to Israel.

Germany rose up suddenly to accomplish God’s purpose to get Jews back to Israel. This is what God does with earthly kingdoms. It is clear that God raised them up just for the purpose of punishing Judah and once their purpose had been complete, tore them down again. Right before the seventy year exile was up, they were miraculously defeated and conquered in one night. But somehow, they suddenly popped almost out of nowhere to take over much of the known world. They were just a small group of people with little influence and a little kingdom. When you look at the history of Babylon, it is easy to see God’s sovereign hand. God’s answer was that He would one day to knock down Babylon. His chosen instrument: Babylon (The Lord gave Judah into his hand.) In the book of Habakkuk, the writer (Habakkuk) is confused how God, who is infinitely holy, could use an evil kingdom like Babylon to punish Judah, who though sinful, was still better than Babylon. Although His judgment was severe, He still never forgot His promises to David and always preserved a remnant of the nation and a remnant who was faithful to himself. God planned to use a 70 years captivity to bring the people to their knees and turn them back to Himself. The prophets were ignored, or worse, thrown into prison and cut in two. In recent years, these warnings reached a fever pitch. A real person.įor decades prophets had been warning Judah that God was going to punish her for her gross sins and rebellion against the Lord. Isaiah 39:6-7 – Everything you have will be carried off to Babylon one day.Įzekiel 14:20, 28:3 – Daniel was mentioned by Ezekiel as being extraordinarily wise and righteous. What did Nebuchadnezzar do after he defeated Jerusalem? Why?Ģ Kings 24-25 – History of the Babylon assault three times after continued rebellion. What do you know about the empire of Babylon? The verdict: These men were wiser than all the rest of Babylon (17-21) The subjects: young men with no blemish (3-4) Daniel 1 Key Principle – Stand uncompromisingly on the truth even in the face of strong pressure to give in to the world’s way.

The book of daniel chapter 1