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Sabbatical and Jubilee Analysis
Part 4 Session 3
Old Testament Jubilee Timeline
Fall of Jerusalem – Temple destroyed in 587 BCE

Transcribed and edited from video

https://www.answersoflife.com/

The Spirit of YHWH is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind; to declare the acceptable year of YHWH, and the day of recompence; to comfort all that mourn; (Isa 61:1-2 Brenton)

We are in the middle of an undertaking and a project to look at the Sabbatical and Jubilee practice as it was ordained in the Old Testament, and have gone through a lot of material so far. Part One of this series which had to do with the background, history and some of the writings that have been found in the secular record about the Sabbatical and Jubilee.

In Part Two we looked into the Torah instructions and the attributes and stipulations. How did YHWH want the Sabbatical and Jubilee kept? We have gone into that in a great amount of detail. Part Three took us to how to count the Sabbatical and Jubilee cycle. It turns out that there is a controversy about the Sabbatical cycle being a 49 year cycle, and including the Jubilee as a 50^th year as a part of the 49 year count. The scriptures tell us that it’s is a full 50 year count.

Now we are in Part 4 that will be four sessions. In the first session, we looked at the overall geo-political situation in the world as it was occurring around 600 BCE. We looked at the main players involved, the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. We started with the death of Josiah, went through when Jehoahaz took over and then Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah after that. As we looked through that period of time, we got a foundation for what was going on in the world.

In the session after that, we looked at the sieges and deportations. We started a timeline that told us when Josiah’s death was in 609 BCE, and how King Nebuchadnezzar came on the scene, how Daniel was taken into captivity into Babylon at this period of time. We started to look at the sieges and deportations that were occurring, and found there were three Babylonian sieges, and a total of six deportations that we see.

Now we are at the Third Session in Part 4, which is specifically about the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple, as we will see it will end up being dated as 587 BCE.

The next session to come, the final session in this series we will look at Ezekiel’s proclamation of the Jubilee in 574 BCE, but this time we will put our attention on the Fall of Jerusalem and how the Temple and the city were destroyed in that period of time.

Objective

The objective of this overall presentation series has been to determine these bulleted items:

• Determine the date for Ezekiel 40:1
• What year was this vision?
• Two synchronized clues

  25^th year of captivity

  14^th year after the fall of Jerusalem

• Why do we care?

  Establish Jubilee year date

  Derive Sabbatical year date

• How do we proceed?

  Develop Ezekiel Jubilee Timeline

  Validate with chronologically interlinked historical events

In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of YHWH was upon me, and brought me thither. In the visions of Elohim brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame ^{H4011=a building} of a city on the south. (Eze 40:1-2 KJV)

These are two independent dating timelines, and we have been working toward establishing them in this presentation series, and continue to look at them and establish them today.

Why do we care about the scripture in Ezekiel 40? The reason we care is that we believe that this is a proclamation occurring in Jubilee year. If we can establish when this Jubilee year actually was, we can derive from that the actual Sabbatical year schedule that we can move backwards and forwards in time to see when the Sabbaticals are, and actually, when the Jubilee might be scheduled to happen in our day and our time and yet in our future.

So then, the follow on question to that is how do we proceed to do this? What we have done is to develop a timeline based on scriptures that are fundamentally in Ezekiel. Ezekiel led up to this particular verse in Ezekiel 40 he gives us a number of clues throughout his writings.

Once we do that, we should be able to validate the chronology of all that we see including a number of events that have to do with the kings in Judah at this period of time, and the secular kings particularly King Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans and what they were doing.

If we can validate all of that, we should be able to interlink these historical events and come up with when the 25^th year of our captivity and the 14^th year after the fall of Jerusalem, according to what Ezekiel foretold.

In the last presentation we talked about how the calendar is set at creation. There is certainly lots of commentary and discussion about what the true calendar is in the Bible. Genesis chapter 1 gives us some clues.

Calendar Set at Creation

• And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven
  to divide the day from the night;
  and let them be for signs, ^{H226=oth=signal, sign, beacon}
  and for seasons, ^{H4150=moad=appointment, festival, set time}
  and for days, ^{H3117=yom=to be hot, sunrise to sunset}
  and years: ^{H8141=shaneh=a revolution of time}
  (Gen 1:14 KJV)

A revolution of time is talking about the revolution of the earth around the sun. Also, there is a sub revolution that goes along with this which is the revolution of the moon that goes around the earth. These are two independent orbital mechanics however, and it’s easy to get them mixed up.

The revolution of time that we are talking about today is a revolution of time that has to do with the year. One full cycle as the earth revolves the sun. The question that I have asked in the past is:

• What appointment has to do with years?

Certainly the annual Holy Day cycles that we have all observed has to do with year to year. When you start looking at, and thinking about the Sabbatical and the Jubilee, this is a cycle that has to do with the revolution of time of the earth around the sun.

That is exactly what this scripture has brought to light for us. The word “shanah” is a revolution of time, an appointment that has to do with the revolution of time, and that has to do with the Sabbaticals and Jubilee period.

Fall of Jerusalem
3 Sieges and 6 Deportations – Review Last Session

Last time we started with this chart that is about the sieges and deportations. We got through the first part of this chart in the attack by Nebuchadnezzar, the first siege in 606 BCE. It was the first siege of Jerusalem when Daniel was taken.

Young princes and nobility were taken into Babylon. We looked into the scriptures in 2 Kings 24 along with Daniel chapter 1. We saw that it gave us some clues as to the regnal accounting for Nebuchadnezzar.

We used that, and put it on a timeline which we see here, and continued on to see that there was actually a second siege by Nebuchadnezzar. That second siege had to do with the time of Jehoiakim.

Jehoiakim ended up being assassinated and Ezekiel was exiled during this period of time, in a very small window of time it was because Jehoiachin took over after his dad Jehoiakim was taken out. Jehoiachin only reigned for three months before being taken captive.

We will see how Jehoiachin and Ezekiel mark this captivity as a way of calendar keeping in Ezekiel. In this session we are going to specifically look at what the third siege looked like. There are two separate deportations associated with the third siege that occurred during this period of time.

Of course Nebuchadnezzar ends up being the main adversary to the Southern Kingdom, the land of Judah. Captives were taken; ultimately Zedekiah was taken captive, blinded and exiled into Babylon.

We will start with the event that has to do with the assassination of Gedaliah by a guy whose name was Ishmael, and that there was another final deportation associated with this assassination. At least it’s assumed that it’s associated with it. The events in the scripture are a bit sparse that gives us detail about it.

That is where we will start and end up next time with Ezekiel chapter 40 and this Jubilee proclamation.

• Total exiled 14.6 K not full accounting
• Return 70 years later – 42.3 K plus 7.3 K servants

I have noted also in the past, that when you take an accounting of the exiles that were taken during these sieges and deportations they sum up to just less than 15,000. That is a far cry from the 50,000 that returned some 70 years later.

There were certainly others taken during this period of time. One of the main sources of the captivity was likely a 130 years before this when the Assyrians took out the Northern Kingdom. A number of exiles were taken out in that period of time. They were displaced to the land that became known as Babylon, and taken over by the Chaldeans.

That is a sidebar discussion, and an interesting one of when the captives got taken, because way more returned than were taken out and it was a relatively short period of time, seventy years later. Also, many were left in Persia when all of this happened so there must have been a lot of other captives taken along the way.

The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore, Beside their servants and their maids, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and there were among them two hundred singing men and singing women. (Ezr 2:64-65 KJV)

Ezekiel Jubilee Timeline – Review Last Session
5^th Year Event

In the last session we ended up on this particular chart which was highlighting the 30^th year of the Jubilee cycle. This was that scripture in Ezekiel chapter 1.

Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, (Eze 1:1-2 KJV)

• 5^th year of Jehoiachin captivity
• 30^th year of Jubilee cycle
• 593 BCE
• Visions of YHWH’s glory

We went through the details of what the 30^th year is because what Ezekiel 1 that just says it’s the 30^th year of something. We looked at the alternatives and our conclusion here is that this is the 30^th year in the count of the Jubilee cycle for a variety of reasons. This is where we ended up last time. Clearly it’s the fifth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity.

The first calendar entry in the writings in the Book of Ezekiel turns out to be in the first chapter and in the first verse, so right out of the chute Ezekiel is telling us how he kept the calendar

Ezekiel is keeping it according to the years of captivity. We will see other references when he calls it “our captivity”, meaning that he was taken into captivity at about the same time, if not the same time that Jehoiachin was taken.

This is a landmark event. This fifth year opens the Book of Ezekiel, and it takes place on our chronology in the year 593 BCE.

It turns out, moving forward there are 13 of these scriptures with calendar references and dating in Ezekiel’s writings. The first one I just showed you is where we left off last time.

In Ezekiel chapter 1, we not only get these dates, but we get some other really fascinating information. Ezekiel chapter one is about the vision of YHWH’s glory.

This one chapter is probably the very best explanation of what a man could see, write about, and describe what YHWH’s glory to be like, and when you read through it you will be amazed.

In this period of the scripture in the first few chapters, I believe the date is the date that he shows us in Ezekiel chapter 1. When we get to chapter 3, my assumption which may be incorrect, is that we are still in the 30^th year in the 4^th month in the 5^th day.

What happens in chapter 3 is somewhat useful for the other parts of this presentation as we unfold it. That part is that Ezekiel was muted by YHWH during this period of time. Ezekiel could speak, and we will see that he in fact was speaking, but only speaking according to the directives and the prophetic word that YHWH wanted him to say. When you see “thus saith YHWH”, or, “thus saith the Lord” in the common translation, Ezekiel is responding to that. He isn’t violating the muting that YHWH provided for him, he is only speaking in the instructions that you see in Ezekiel 3. What you see in Ezekiel 3 is that Ezekiel will be muted to speak his own words. This will last for 7 ½ years.

The next time that we see a date in Ezekiel happens to be in Ezekiel chapter 8:1, another fascinating chapter.

And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of YHWH fell there upon me. (Eze 8:1 KJV)

That is how this starts and this is an amazing chapter also. It’s about Ezekiel being taken to the Temple in vision, and seeing all of the abominations that have been established right inside the Temple, the very Holy of Holies in YHWH’s Temple. Ezekiel explained and shows us in chapter 8 that there were women there weeping for the idol Tammuz. This is likely has to do with the coming of Tammuz and the rainy season during the agricultural process. They were weeping for Tammuz so that there would be rain and water for the crops. Instead of relying on YHWH for the agriculture, they were weeping for Tammuz to come back.

The women weren’t the only ones, the elders of the Temple themselves were worshipping the sun in this section of scripture. It was such a violation in apostasy to YHWH’s way that YHWH’s glory actually leaves the Temple. You will see that if you read through this section of Ezekiel.

YHWH’s glory left the Temple, went to the northern gate, over to the Mount of Olives and then went up to heaven. It hasn’t returned since, but it will return when Yahushua our Savior returns to the Mount of Olives in the same place His glory left from. This is another amazing writing that Ezekiel has shown us, and how the idolatry of the situation just went from bad to worse, and the people that were called to be YHWH’s people were practicing the Canaanite idolatrous practices and worshipping Baal.

The end result is that YHWH’s glory and his spirit left the Temple in Ezekiel chapter 8. In Ezekiel chapter 20 we see that it’s one year later. In Ezekiel chapter 20 we see it’s one year later, in the 7^th year, the 5^th month, the 10^th day.

This section of the scripture in chapter 20:1 is about YHWH showing that these Israelites were just incredibly stiff necked. They had an attitude of on-going rebellion. This scripture in Ezekiel 20 takes us through a history of Israel, the history of them living under bondage in Egypt, and being taken out by a safe hand and wandering in the desert for 40 years. The history of that ultimately, even though YHWH was displeased with this, at the end of this chapter there is a promise of restoration. Obviously that hasn’t come yet, and is yet in the future. Ezekiel 20 has to do with this rebellion, the history, and the ultimate restoration. In Ezekiel chapter 24 we get another time marker.

Keep in mind that this is in reference to Jehoiachin and Ezekiel’s captivity. We will see that in two of the references as we go through the presentation. In Ezekiel 24 it’s now the 9^th year, and this particular date Ezekiel is talking about the siege of Jerusalem and the parable of the pot of scum. Ezekiel is still mute here by the way; he is only speaking what YHWH allows him to speak. This chapter is where Ezekiel’s wife dies.

The next verse we see with a date in it is in chapter 26, and it’s the 11th year and the 1st day of the month, there isn’t a month number given here.

I have the dates in this table to be 588/587, I have actually reversed engineered this if you will, because after I put this on the timeline, you will see it’s easy to see when the dates are.

It’s interesting to see what events were going on associated with some of these prophecies. The eleventh year in the first day of the month prophetic word has to do with the judgment on Tyre which will occur via Nebuchadnezzar. It turns out, that this judgment on Tyre and this siege that is talked about here will last thirteen years.

After the fall of Jerusalem in 587, Nebuchadnezzar’s next major campaign ends up being on Tyre. If you look at the historical record you see that it took him 13 years, from 586 to 573 to complete that campaign and incidentally, it wasn’t completed successfully.

In Ezekiel 29, the next entry is the 10^th year, 10^th month in the 12^th day of the month, and it has to do with the judgment on Egypt. Pharaoh Apries who was the Pharaoh in charge of Egypt at this point in time, and as a note, Pharaoh Apries is also known as Hophra who was mentioned in Jeremiah 44:30, if you want to look that up in the scripture. Apries and Hophra are one in the same guy.

It’s also noteworthy to see that this particular dating sequence is out of order at least from a numerical standpoint of these scriptures, so what I’m doing here is taking us through the list as they occur in the Book of Ezekiel, not all of Ezekiel is in chronological order. Generally there is a chronology to it, but there are exceptions and this happens to be one.

The next occurrence is in the same chapter 29, in verse 17. In the 27^th year, it jumps way ahead now, the 1^st month in the 1^st day of the month. This says it is 27 years after the captivity. What you find when you look and study it, the Egyptian spoil was to be given to Nebuchadnezzar as wages for the unsuccessful Tyre campaign back in Ezekiel chapter 26.

Even though Nebuchadnezzar spent 13 years at this, he was really unsuccessful in this campaign. He wasn’t able to take any spoil or booty of the war so YHWH told him to take it from the Egyptians.

It is an amazing account. Again, when you look at this in detail, you would have to ask if this is unfulfilled future prophecy, and I think the answer is yes, but we won’t go into that this time. It turns out that here in Ezekiel 29 is the last dated prophecy in all of Ezekiel’s because there are several more to come beyond this. This is latest dated prophecy, and it certainly is out of sync with the rest of the calendar.

The last six of these will start in Ezekiel chapter 30; it’s the 11^th year, the 1^st month the 7^th day of the month. YHWH says that he has broken the arm of Pharaoh King of Egypt. This is likely a prophetic word to Ezekiel but it’s looking backwards. By 587 when this occurred, which is the 11^th year of the captivity, and we will see that the 11^th year of the captivity lines up with 587. Egypt had attempted to help Zedekiah defend Judah, and that assistance failed. Nebuchadnezzar went after the Egyptians and ran them off basically, and then came back after Judah.

This scripture in Ezekiel chapter 30 talks about “I have broken the arm”, and it’s singular in its implication, if you read through this and study it on your own you will find that ultimately YHWH is going to say that he is going to break both of the arms of Egypt.

YHWH is going to wound them sorely by breaking one of their arms and it’s looking backward to likely what would be 588 when the Egyptians came and tried to assist Zedekiah to defend themselves against Nebuchadnezzar.

The next entry that we see is in Ezekiel 31 and it’s still the 11^th year, the 3^rd month, the 1^st day of the month. He is told to speak unto Pharaoh. Again, this is talking about Pharaoh Apries or Hophra and it’s a prophecy that talks about how he will ultimately be slain and he was. You’ll note when you go through this that there are some number of these prophecies that have to do with Egypt.

Egypt was not on the good guys list here, Egypt was an adversary of YHWH because they were trying to help Judah not be overtaken by the Babylonians. Egypt got sucked into the vortex of all of this and ended up in judgment. It continues on, one more year, the 12^th year the 12^th month in the 1^st day of the month.

We have the announcement that there is going to be a funeral. This is a funeral dirge for Pharaoh Apries who reigned from 589 to 570 BCE, so some years after this prophecy Pharaoh Apries, also known as Hophra, was likely killed. He disappeared and it’s thought that he was killed by his own constituents, his own army.

The next entry we see is in Ezekiel in chapter 32. It is in the 12^th year, and when you read this, notice that the 12^th month is assumed. It’s in the same chapter as verse one which is was the 12^th month is assumed in context, and it makes sense that it would be. It was the 12^th year and the 12^th month in the 15^th day of the month that YHWH spoke to Ezekiel. This set of verses is about Egypt and Pharaoh, and how they will be assigned to hell, or Sheol ^{the pit} as it’s used in the Hebrew. It uses the word “the pit”.

Ezekiel 33 is another dating entry that says it is in the 12^th year, the 10^th month, and the 5^th day, this is the messenger, the refugee that reported in to Ezekiel that is now in Babylon at the river Chebar. This refugee came to Ezekiel to report that the city is smitten. At this point, Ezekiel is unmuted. If we start from the 5^th year and the 4^th month when Ezekiel was muted, and continue on to the 12^th year and the 10^th month, that is 7 ½ years. This is another one that is out of calendar sequence. Ezekiel couldn’t speak his thoughts; he could only speak what YHWH instructed him to say. As I thought about this, I thought maybe that might be a good assignment for me. To only speak the words that YHWH would have me to speak. We start thinking about this, how often are we just speaking what YHWH’s words are, versus what our words are. There might be a sub lesson in this that might apply to us.

When we get to Ezekiel 40, we see it’s the 25^th year, in the beginning of the year, in the 10^th day of the month. We believe this to be a Millennial Temple vision for a variety of reasons. We believe it to be occurring on a Jubilee year and have recently heard some presentations, some messages that this scripture is not about a Millennial Temple, it is about a third Temple before the return of Messiah. A 3^rd Temple will be built during the tribulation period and occupied by the beast power, the man of perdition. I don’t believe that is true and we will see some of them in the next presentation. Those are the 13 dating examples in Ezekiel, and will take the next two in order.

I have shown you the first one, which was on the first year of the Jubilee cycle when we started which was in Ezekiel chapter 1. We’ll take the next two that occur. It occurs on this timeline in the 6^th and 7^th year of the captivity of Jehoiachin.

The 6^th year, in the 6th month, in the 5^th day of the month is when Ezekiel was telling the elders about the abominations of the women weeping for Tammuz, and the elders turning to the east, and worshipping the sun. Ezekiel is looking and going through a small hole in the wall of the Temple compound area.

When Ezekiel took a peek to see what was going on, I’m sure he was amazed. Probably most significant period of time is when YHWH’s glory left the Temple. We see during this 6^th year of captivity that Jerusalem has not fallen yet; we have a few more years to go until we get to the 11^th year when Jerusalem actually fell.

In the 7^th year, YHWH is rehearsing the events that happened during the history of the Israelites as they stayed in Egypt, as they left, and how they have been a rebellious and stiff-necked people. He is giving them an opportunity to tell them that even though some of them are already in captivity, Jerusalem is still standing, and there is a large constituent of people.

Zedekiah is in charge in Jerusalem and the people left could change their way if they would only hear the message, but they didn’t.

Moving forward to the actual fall of Jerusalem, we go to a period of time that starts in December of 590 BCE; this will end up being the 9^th year and the 10^th month of Jehoiachin’s captivity.

In the next chart we will see how Jehoiachin’s captivity is the same as Zedekiah’s reign. Also, just by intercalation, the start of this is the 16^th year of Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t believe there is a scripture that talks about Nebuchadnezzar’s 16^th year, but we see that on the timeline here.

The 9^th Year, 10^th Month, 10^th Day
Zedekiah Reign vs. Our Captivity

• Author of Kings – Jeremiah ^{Jewish Tradition}
• Author of Jeremiah – Jeremiah

  Eye witness to the destruction of Jerusalem

  Reference was Zedekiah

  Non-accession Tishri calendar

• Author of Ezekiel – Ezekiel

  Eye witness to captives in Babylon

  Taken captive the same time frame of Jehoiachin

  Reference was Jehoiachin – “our captivity”

“Zedekiah’s reign” and the accounting of it, “our captivity” and “the captivity of Jehoiachin”, are one in the same. There are four scriptures that talk about this period of time, the 9^th year, the 10^th month, and the 10^th day.

The first scripture that we see is in 2 Kings 25:1. The author of 2 Kings isn’t identified so it isn’t for certain whom it is. There is variation of it being Isaiah, or Ezra, but the Jewish tradition today is that it was Jeremiah. It may not be correct although I think you will see as we study through this in this section that there are scriptures that parallel closely to the book of Jeremiah. I won’t put a stake in the ground on that, I’m just telling you for reference of starting.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.
(2Ki 25:1 KJV)

The reference in context certainly is Zedekiah. If you read the end of 2 Kings 24 into the first verse of chapter 25, this is a clear reference of being Zedekiah, and it’s talking about the 9^th month, 10^th month and the 10^th day of Zedekiah.

There are two parallel scriptures to this with the same dating reference in Jeremiah.

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.
(Jer 39:1 KJV)

We see the 9^th year and the 10^th month referenced, and we see more clarity in Jeremiah 52.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his ^Zedekiah reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.
(Jer 52:4 KJV)

There are a couple of things here that would be of use. First, Jeremiah was the prophet that stayed in Jerusalem during this entire period of time. He was eyewitness to the destruction, the events, and all of the sieges. Jeremiah was an advisor to the king that would not heed his advice, and was the guy that said to submit to the Babylonians.

Jeremiah told the king that if he submitted he would likely be in exile but would be okay. Of course, that wasn’t a popular message for Zedekiah, let alone Jehoiachin, and Jehoiakim the predecessors.

This reference in Jeremiah is clearly to Zedekiah and of note, as we have studied this, there is controversy, but the references to Zedekiah’s 9^th year is a non-accession Tishri accounting. You can bend these timelines with other accounting methodologies with accession, and Abib accounting of your calendar. The problem is, the other events that we are interlinking don’t interlink when you do that.

It appears by necessity, that this is showing us that Zedekiah was referenced as a non-accession king. In other words, when Zedekiah was put into power by Nebuchadnezzar, his first months were considered his first year. That is what non-accession is talking about….and… the accounting goes from Tishri to Tishri.

There is one other account we have already read, it’s in Ezekiel 24, and obviously Ezekiel is the author. This account says:

Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of YHWH came unto me, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
(Eze 24:1-2 KJV)

We are going to come back to this scripture and continue on with it because Ezekiel kept time from the captivity. The captivity was the transition between the departure of Jehoiachin when he was taken captive, and the setting in the very next day or the next week, an immediate crossover to Zedekiah.

We see in Ezekiel that his timing has to do with the captivity, and not with Zedekiah. That is why I can say that Zedekiah’s reign and our captivity, when you find dates associated with them; they are one in the same.

Also, Ezekiel was witness to the captives in Babylon, and since Jehoiachin was sent to Babylon it wouldn’t be surprising that Ezekiel would have met up with, and found him. Therefore, Ezekiel kept his chronology from the standpoint of King Jehoiachin who is now in captivity.

We also know that Daniel was in Babylon during this period of time since Nebuchadnezzar took him in the first siege. I can’t help but conjecture, because you don’t see it in the scriptures, but Ezekiel, Jehoiachin, Daniel, and Zedekiah ultimately when he was taken captive, (of course his eyes had been put out at this time). Since these guys were all generally in the same area of confinement, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit that they would have had interaction.

Another conjecture is that according to Josephus, Zedekiah was Daniel’s father. Daniel had effectively become the Prime Minister in the land of the Chaldeans and had a lot of authority. You would think he would have probably looked up his family tree to find those that had been taken captive also.

So that is a bit of conjecture certainly, but we need to think about what was going on. We tend to read Daniel as a stand-alone account, not putting it together with the account that Ezekiel was there at the same point in time, as well as the other kings in exile.

Also, Ezekiel was witness to the captives in Babylon, not in Jerusalem because he was taken out early on at the same time as Jehoiachin. The reference to Jehoiachin and our captivity is found in two places. Obviously we are going to come back to this because of duplicate information.

Look what Ezekiel says in Ezekiel 33:

And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity ^{586 BCE}, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten. (Eze 33:21 KJV)

The other location you see “our captivity” in is in Ezekiel 40.

In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of YHWH was upon me, and brought me thither. (Eze 40:1 KJV)

Ezekiel himself uses this term, “our captivity” twice. He uses Jehoiachin’s captivity once, so three out of the thirteen dating examples in Ezekiel give us reference to how he would have used the other dating examples.

That is why I can be comfortable in saying these dating examples belong to “our captivity” reference.

The captivity is an event. It isn’t a regnal event, but then it’s regnal in terms of Jehoiachin, but it’s kept as a non-accession Tishri accounting on the calendars also. At least that is our understanding of it, but you may have a different opinion of it. This would be non-accession according to the Tishri calendar according to what we see.

If we take what we just learned, the 9^th year and the 10^th month and the 10^th day, are one in the same, you can see why I have put these two line items on the chart. The captivity, which was the same as the second deportation, which also was the same of Jehoiachin’s deportation, we are in the 9^th year since that occurred.

We started in 597 BCE if you recall from the last time and have counted forward from the 1^st year, to the 7^th year, to the 8^th year, and now we are at the 9^th year, the 10^th month, when this siege is starting with Nebuchadnezzar’s final push into Jerusalem.

At that same time, we saw from Jeremiah as well as in 2 Kings that it’s the 9^th year of Zedekiah’s reign. These events are one in the same on the calendar. The reasons why now should be more evident. Ezekiel’s chronology is equal to the captivity of Jehoiachin which is also equal to “our captivity”.

Jeremiah’s chronology has to do with Zedekiah’s reign and both of these run concurrent with one another, at least concurrent until Zedekiah is removed from power and exiled himself in his 11^th year. Then we are left with just the captivity as it moves along.

Nebuchadnezzar Siege 3
9^th Year of Jehoiachin Captivity

• Start 30 month siege

  9^th year, 10^th month, 10^th day of Jehoiachin captivity Ezekiel reckoning

  Dec. 590 BCE

  16^th year of Nebuchadnezzar

• Ezekiel’s symbolic prophesy against Southern Kingdom

  Significant anniversary event

  Thoroughly cook pot of scum

  Everyone is in the pot

  Extreme heat is applied

  Scum will be burned up

Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month ^{Jehoiachin’s captivity}, the word of YHWH came unto me, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this ^{H2088=zeh=this or that}same ^{H6101=etsum=bone as strong or substance} day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this^{H2088=zeh=this or that} same ^{H6106=etsum=bone as strong or substance} day ^{H3117=yom=onesunset to the next}. And utter a parable ^{H4912=mawshawl=pithy mozim of metaphorical nature} unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith YHWH; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones. Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein. Wherefore thus saith YHWH Elohim; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust; That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered. Therefore thus saith YHWH; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great. Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. (Eze 24:1-11 KJV)

The terminology for “the same day” is interesting and unique. It is somewhat an idiom in Hebrew because the word “same day” is taken from the word “etsem” which is bone. Most of the time in the Old Testament, bone refers to the bone of an animal or the bone of a man, a real bone. But in some few instances, we see the same Hebrew word “etsem”, or “bone” used and translated as “same” or “selfsame”, in some scriptures. This happens to be two of the locations that it happens.

I have mentioned this in the past, in a variety of presentation subjects as I have found it, and it has always appeared to be a reference of a very important event. The word “bone” is used as an idiom as something strong, lasting or enduring. I think that is why this is that way. When we see the words “etsem”, in the terminology of the “same day’, or the “selfsame day”, I think it’s a heads up, this is important. In other words, this is an important event.

YHWH said to burn it well, burn it so much that the pot is empty and so this scum is consumed. What an indictment against the rebellious House of Israel. Again, I can’t help but think this indictment; this rebellious House of Israel has a lot of parallels to what is going on today and the judgment that is finally going to happen upon this earth before the return of Yahushua Messiah.

This is the start of a 30 month siege. It’s the 9^th year, 10^th month and the 10^th day, just as we have been focusing on in the scriptures. December 590 BCE, it is the 16^th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, and this symbolic prophecy is against the Southern Kingdom. This is somewhat like an allegory but it’s useful to know that it is called this parable or “mawshawl”, the pithy maxim of metaphorical nature.

YHWH said to thoroughly cook this pot of scum, if you were the people listening to what Ezekiel is saying, you would probably have to ask if he is talking about me. The answer would be yes. Thoroughly cook the pot of scum, everybody is in this pot, YHWH is going to apply extreme heat and you can only imagine what these people must have been thinking when this was said.

All of the scum is going to be burned up, and yes indeed, it was. The beginning of this 30 month siege has Ezekiel 24 weighing in on the 9^th year. You see why these scriptures in Ezekiel, the timing of this will be of interest to add into the timeline, and that is what we are going to do.

Nebuchadnezzar Siege 3 – Deportation 4
18^th Year of Nebuchadnezzar

• Start 30 month siege

  9^th year, 10^th month, 10^th day of Jehoiachin captivity Ezekiel reckoning

  Dec 590 BCE

  16^th year of Nebuchadnezzar

• Nebuchadnezzar 18^th year

  2 years after start of siege

  832 taken captive

  588 BCE

• Occurs late into 30 month siege

In addition to this period of time in Jeremiah 52:

In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons: (Jer 52:29 KJV)

We get a reference marker in Jeremiah that this captivity and deportation, which is number 4 according to the accounting that we see happen in what would have been in Nebuchadnezzar’s 18^th year. It was two years after the start of this 30 month siege. 832 people were taken, and this would date to 588 BCE, and obviously this occurs late in the 30 month siege cycle, but not at the end of it quite yet.

Nebuchadnezzar Siege 3
Zedekiah Flees and is Captured

• Start 30 month siege
• Start siege – 2 Ki reckoning

  9^th year, 10^th month, 10^th day of Zedekiah reign
  
  Jehoiachin captivity and Zedekiah reign = same timeline

• End siege

  11^th year, 4^th month, 9^th day of Zedekiah reign

  Walls breached

  5^th month, 7^th day
  
  Temple burnt

  587

This 30 month siege starts, and in 2 Kings 25 and re-read it and we’ll get some more details beyond where we started.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts ^{H1785=battering tower, siege wall} against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up ^{H1234=break forth, rip, open (walls breached}, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king ^Zedekiah, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. (2Ki 25:1-5 KJV)

The compound of the city was a large footprint, Nebuchadnezzar surrounded the city and built big towers, they built them out of the lumber from the trees of the land. If you have ever wondered why it looks so barren around this part of Israel, and many parts of Israel, you see all of the wars and activity of the competing armies. They tore down the trees to use them for lumber for battering towers and the siege walls is largely the reason that the land has been denuded.

We get that it’s not only the beginning of the siege but we get the end of it too. We know the beginning because we have seen it in several places, and talked about the 9^th year, the 10^th month, the 10^th day, Zedekiah’s reign and Jehoiachin’s captivity being the same dating sequence. They are one in the same on the timeline.

We now see the end of the siege to be the 11^th year, the 4^th month, the 9^th day of Zedekiah’s reign and the walls were breached. As we look on in 2 Kings 25 we get additional information.

So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of YHWH, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. (2Ki 25:6-10 KJV)

If you recall, Riblah was this location north at the Syrian/Lebanon border, it was a military fortress town that was Nebuchadnezzar’s field headquarters. Riblah was Necho’s field headquarters before Nebuchadnezzar chased him out, Nebuzaradan was Nebuchadnezzar’s general.

We see the end of this siege ending after the 4^th month going into the 5^th month, when the walls were breached, and going into 5^th month General Nebuzaradan came. We also see that somewhere in here there was an anniversary of Nebuchadnezzar, because when we read Jeremiah a few pages back, it says it was his 18^th year and now it’s his 19^th, and that fits into the timeline also because Nebuchadnezzar had regnal anniversaries on Abib. Abib had just passed through the calendar.

Remember, we are in the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th month of the year now so Nebuchadnezzar would have just had an anniversary so now it’s his 19^th year. The scriptures really provide an amazing detail to some of these events and when you take the scriptures for what they say, this timeline comes together, it matches up and is synchronized when you put it on a piece of paper. This is happening the fifth month when the Temple was burned, it is 19^th year of Nebuchadnezzar and it’s 587 BCE.

Nebuchadnezzar Siege 3
30 Month Campaign

Controversy

18 vs. 30 month campaign

Abib vs Tishri calendar

Dates – 2Ki 25:1-5

3^rd Siege

30 month siege ^{2.5 yr}

9^th year ^{Zedekiah reign same as Jehoiachin captivity}

10^th month 10^th day

16^th year of Nebuchadnezzar

Dec 590 BCE

This 30 month campaign has a controversy associated with it. When you study, or do research into it you find some say that it is an 18 month verses a 30 month campaign. They largely say it’s the 18^th month when you date it from Abib, although I have never found anyone who has actually shown a hard copy of dating it from Abib. It’s probably out there, but you just see it written about, that it’s the 18^th month because it was dated from Abib. I think more likely it is 18 months is because you date it using the Gregorian calendar.

Today you take these dates and apply them to the Gregorian calendar and indeed you come up with 18 months. Obviously, there wasn’t a Gregorian calendar back then.

We will go forward with this because I want to show you how it is in fact, a 30 month siege. Many chronologists concur with that by the way, so this is not a stand-alone position. Basically a 30 month period would be 2 ½ years, and we are going to start with the 9^th year of Zedekiah, just as we saw it in 2 Kings.

We will end up on the 10^th month on the 10^th day of the 9^th year as our start. The 16^th year of Nebuchadnezzar in 590 BCE will be our starting spot.

We will put a calendar which starts on the 10th month. Remember it’s the 10th month and 10th day.

Zedekiah’s 9^th year and 10^th month will mark that starting spot. As we go through this you will see how it decrements to Zedekiah’s regnal years and as it ends up it has to be a 30 month calendar.

This is Zedekiah’s 9^th year and 10^th month starts at this point in time. We proceed down through the next 9 months to the bottom of the slide, and then we will pick up the rest of the year on the next slide.

We end up with year 1 in 589 BCE.

Then we start with our 2^nd year so now we are at Zedekiah’s 10^th year and 10^th month.

We will get the first 9 months of this second year. We pick up the other 3 months up at the top of this slide. This is the end of year 2 in 588 BCE.

Then we come to the final 6 months and they start with Zedekiah’s 11^th year and 10^th month. The transition in the Hebrew calendar, when we account for a Tishri calendar, the numbers aren’t sequential through the years. The numbers reset halfway through the year and go back to number one which is Abib, so the final 6 months has that transition associated with it.

We get down to the 3^rd month which is Sivan on the current Babylonian calendar name that the Hebrew’s use today. We are at the full 2^nd year going into now the 11^th year and the 10^th month of Zedekiah’s reign. These two events that we see in the scriptures are mentioned.

In the 4^th month the wall of the city is breached and in the 5^th month the Temple and the city is razed and everything is burned down.

We add to that, and we are now at Zedekiah’s 11^th year and 4^th month, or 11^th year and 5^th month if we take the city being razed. We see the details of that and follow up in Jeremiah 52 which is parallel to 2 Kings 25. Perhaps it is another potential reference of why 2 Kings was written by Jeremiah.

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign ^Zedekiah, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts ^{H1785=battering tower, siege wall} against it round about. So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled, and went forth out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king’s garden; (now the Chaldeans were by the city round about:) and they went by the way of the plain. (Jer 52:4-7 KJV)

We get the second witness out of Jeremiah when this event happened. We will rehearse Jeremiah 52:12 coming up in a future slide. Jeremiah 52 says that it’s the 5 month and the 10^th day that the Temple was razed.

That is exactly what I have on this calendar. You see, we went through 30 months to get to these two events and then in the 31^st month the walls were breached and the 32^nd month the Temple and the city were razed.

These two events are memorialized today in Judaism as a holiday Tisha B’Av. It turns out that it’s a fast day and it memorializes when this event occurred, which was the 9^th day of the 5^th month that the city and the Temple were burned down and taken apart.

Also, it turns out that the Second Temple had the same ending on the same calendar date. It was the 9^th and 10^th of Av, of course that was in 70 CE versus 587 for the First Temple. It’s pretty amazing historical record on this and how it’s even honored unto today.

We strongly see that this is a 30 month campaign with this evidence and have proceeded accordingly to leave it that way and keep it that way on this timeline.

• Fall of Jerusalem – 11^th year of Zedekiah
• 30 month siege ending in 587 BCE
• 16^th – 18^th year of Nebuchadnezzar ^{19th year anniversary on Nisan 587 BCE}

The chart shows the fall of Jerusalem in the 11^th year of Zedekiah, it’s the same as the 11^th year of captivity, it’s a 30 month siege, and ends in 587 BCE. We also see the bridge of Nebuchadnezzar’s tenure ranging from the 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th year with his anniversary on Abib, being the 19^th year at the very end of these events.

We have a little bit to go to end these events because I want to describe the next major highlight on the next chart which is highlighting the 4^th month. This will be the 4^th month when the walls were breached and the 5^th month when the city was razed in the circled area.

We are going to examine that little piece of detail that also occurred in 587 just according to the same timeline, the same calendar.

Nebuchadnezzar Siege 3 – Deportation 5
Fall of Jerusalem 4^th month

70 + taken captive

Ark not mentioned

• Nebuzaradan takes prisoners and seizes Temple assets according to 2 Kings 25.

Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away. But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. And the pillars of brass that were in the house of YHWH, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of YHWH, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of YHWH; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest ^{plus others}, and the three keepers of the door: And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king’s presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city: And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land. (2Ki 25:11-21 KJV)

The two pillars they took away were large, they were something like 70 to 80 feet tall and the sea held tens of thousands of gallons of water. It’s called a sea but it was a huge laver where they filled full of water to ritual cleansing. There was one of these huge lavers, and a number of smaller lavers that they used around the Temple. Apparently these were made of brass and the brass of all of these vessels was without weight is what it says. These were all carried off.

Remember, Riblah was the military field outpost that Nebuchadnezzar was mounting this campaign from. There were over 70 captives taken at this point in time. One of the interesting sidebars on this particular scripture is that the ark is not mentioned.

The last time you see the Ark mentioned is during the time of Josiah, I know there is a case to be made, and it would appear that Josiah hid the Ark in his day. It certainly isn’t mentioned here, and it well would have as part of the spoils of war being taken to Babylon. YHWH didn’t want that to happen so the Ark was probably hidden away by this time. The other event that happens here is Zedekiah is captured.

Nebuchadnezzar Siege 3 – Deportation 5
Fall of Jerusalem 4^th month

• 30 month campaign
• Zedekiah captured

  Start siege

  ninth year 10^th month

  Jerusalem falls

  11^th year 4^th month

• Nebuchadnezzar reckoning
• Zedekiah’s 11^th year the same as Nebuchadnezzar 19^th year

  Nebuchadnezzar – Nisan regnal anniversary 587 BCE ^{3 months before the end of siege}

• Jeremiah deported and freed

  Nebuzaradan knew YHWH’s name

We see that again in Jeremiah 39:

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. (Jer 39:1-2 KJV)

We see the start and end of this siege as we have previously rehearsed and get in the dialogue of Josephus, one of the secular writings that amplify this.

Now the city was taken on the ninth day of the fourth month, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah…And when the city was taken about midnight, and the enemy’s generals were entered into the temple, and when Zedekiah was sensible of it, he took his wives, and his children, and his captains, and his friends, and with them fled out of the city, through the fortified ditch, and through the desert; and when certain of the deserters had informed the Babylonians of this, at break of day, they made haste to pursue after Zedekiah, and overtook him not far from Jericho, and encompassed him about (Jos Ant 10.8.2)

It is interesting to see that “certain of the deserters”, these were treasonous Judahites that reported to the Chaldeans. They saw the king leave; they didn’t get to leave so they reported on the king, is what it boils down to. We also get more of this in Jeremiah 52, and it’s somewhat a reckoning to Nebuchadnezzar’s 19^th year that there was a transition from the 18^th to the 19^th just as we have discussed.

Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the house of YHWH, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen.
(Jer 52:12-16 KJV)

We see the disposition during the 19^th year of Nebuchadnezzar and how everyone was taken out except for a few poor that were left behind as farmers. We see the correlation of this, that Nebuzaradan razes the city, it’s the 19^th year and the 5^th month, obviously that relates to 587 on the timeline.

We would also note here that Zedekiah’s 11^th year is the same as Nebuchadnezzar’s 19^th year. Nebuchadnezzar uses Nisan regnal anniversary dating, and that happened in 587, just 3 months or so before this siege that Nebuchadnezzar’s 19^th year would have made the transition from his 18^th year.

Jeremiah is deported and freed during this period of time. He actually became part of the exiled group by General Nebuzaradan. See how this weighs in.

The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, YHWH thy Elohim hath pronounced this evil upon this place. Now YHWH hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against YHWH, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go. Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.
(Jer 40:1-5 KJV)

Obviously Jeremiah was taken away with a group.” And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him”, is interesting. Nebuzaradan is talking directly to Jeremiah, and I am thinking when I read this that Jeremiah thinks he’s about to lose his head.

It’s interesting what Nebuzaradan does, first he chews him out. He says, “YHWH thy Elohim hath pronounced this evil upon this place. Now YHWH hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: because ye have sinned against YHWH, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you”.

Nebuzaradan knows that YHWH is the one that is making all of this part of the record. Nebuzaradan frees Jeremiah and it might be, certainly conjecture, but what would be the reason for this? Nebuzaradan probably knew that Jeremiah had prophesied that the Chaldeans were coming and to submit to themselves to go be in captivity. That was his main message.

I don’t know if Nebuzaradan knew that but one take-away that I see in here, is that Nebuzaradan knew YHWH’s name. He obviously would have been speaking in Chaldean, maybe Hebrew, but in either case, he knew YHWH’s name. He didn’t say “God” or “the Lord”, he used YHWH’s name in Hebrew language. He used the Tetragrammaton, YHWH.

We also see evidence of that from Nebuchadnezzar, because he used names with “Yahoo”. When he renamed Jehoiachin, names were replaced with names that would assume that Nebuchadnezzar knew YHWH’s name. It is an interesting sidebar, but the point of this account is that Jeremiah was deported but then he was ultimately let go.

Fall of Jerusalem – 11th year of Zedekiah, 4^th month, 587 BCE

Temple and Jerusalem razed – 19^th year of Nebuchadnezzar, 5^th month

5^th deportation – Jeremiah exiled and freed

When we see all of these events on this small area called the 4^th month and 5^th month, the fall of Jerusalem happens in the 11^th year of Zedekiah, which would be 587 BCE. The Temple and Jerusalem were razed in the 5^th month, in this same window of time it became the 19^th year of Nebuchadnezzar according to the scriptures. Obviously, there was a deportation that Jeremiah being exiled and freed that we just saw. I can’t help to remember 2 Chronicles 36.

And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
(2Ch 36:20-21 RNKJV)

We don’t want to lose track of what we are studying and what our topic is, it’s the Sabbatical. This scripture shows us that the ultimate reason that YHWH is using here is that he wants the land to rest. He is sending these people away. The land rest is the tip of the spiritual iceberg, if you will; the tip of this is that it has all underneath it of all that they were not doing, all of the idolatry, the pagan practices, the disregard for the Torah.

The Sabbatical and Jubilee was just one tip of all of the other activities that they were not doing that they should have. YHWH is going to take them out and let the land rest for 70 years. While we are on this part of the timeline, I want to highlight the fall of Jerusalem. This is the beginning of the counting of the fall. Remember it’s the 14^th year after the fall of Jerusalem that Ezekiel chapter 40 says that he is dating. We need to account for that and have synchronicity of the proper starting of this.

The first year of the fall of Jerusalem starts immediately when this event occurs and it’s a historical event. The historical event in this case starts on the 5^th month which is Av, and the fall of Jerusalem happens on the 5th month. T

This month that is known with an anniversary that is kept today of Tisha B’av. We will see the fall of Jerusalem as a new line item on our calendar starting with the 1^st year, and we will account for that as we go to the next series of events.

We have a little bit of follow up that is useful. That is the scriptures and timelines that we originally brought out in Ezekiel.

On the chart we see that it falls into the date pattern and is the 9^th year, the 10^th month, and the 10^th day of the month. This one is in Ezekiel 24:1, and isn’t it an irony that this scripture would occur during this point in time.

Remember, Ezekiel is already in captivity, and probably doesn’t know what is happening on the ground in Jerusalem. He is 400 to 500 miles as the crow flies, away from all of it, and this prophecy comes when he talks about the siege of Jerusalem and the parable of the pot of scum.

This occurs during the captivity in the 9^th year in the very beginning of this period of time of this 30 month siege. Keep in mind, Ezekiel is mentioned here as still mute, and this is the point in time when his wife died.

Ezekiel 29 talks about the 10^th year and the 10^th month the 12^th day, and this has to do with the judgment on Egypt when Pharaoh Hophra and Apries ^{cf. Jer 44:30}.

It’s useful to have studied into this in a little more detail, I have not brought these scriptures out but, Pharaoh Apries, also known as Hophra, came to assist the Judahites and Nebuchadnezzar had to deal with them

YHWH had already pronounced judgment on the Southern Kingdom, and now the Egyptians are coming, Zedekiah is calling for help; they come so YHWH isn’t pleased with that. Judgment is being called on Egypt, and specifically Pharaoh Hophra.

In the 11^th year, the 1^st day of the month the word of YHWH came to Ezekiel and Tyre is being called out. Why would Tyre be called out during this period of time? It’s an interesting sidebar discussion again.

Tyre is called out and is going to be judged by Nebuchadnezzar and it is as I said, there will be a 13 year siege, unsuccessful, that ends in 573 BCE that will start immediately after the fall of Jerusalem. If you read through Ezekiel chapters 26 – 27 – 28, you will see that Tyre were merchants. They were Merchant Marines and were in charge of what would appear to be at that point in time, a world-wide merchant traffic.

They had at their head, a Prince; it says “the prince” of Tyre. It appears to me that the Prince of Tyre would be a physical man. But associated with the Prince was the King of Tyre that you will find in Ezekiel 28.

The King of Tyre was Satan himself. These were pagan idolatrous people and they were also likely in party and collusion with the Egyptians. The end result is, the Prince of Tyre said in Ezekiel chapter 26 if you read the account, and you will see the comment that he was looking forward to Judah being taken out by Nebuchadnezzar because then he would have the land.

That wasn’t pleasing to YHWH in any way because the people in Tyre weren’t going to take this land over. YHWH was taking it. This judgment on Tyre is prophesied to take place and it’s interesting to know about.

I should also mention that the merchants of Tyre were the sea-going merchant, and you see a parallel to this in Revelation chapter 18, where the merchants are mentioned several times.

The merchants that are going to be lamenting that Babylon has fallen during the end time. It’s an interesting correlation if you are interested in putting that together.

In the 11^th year during Ezekiel’s calendar, it says the 11^th year, the 1^st month, the 7^th day of the month. It talks about YHWH saying that he has broken the arm of Pharaoh, King of Egypt.

This is pointing backwards one year when Pharaoh came and was ultimately chased back to Egypt. This is the Egyptian attempt to defend Judah and how it failed and Ezekiel is talking about it. He explains how YHWH has broken the arm of Pharaoh and Pharaoh will not be coming to assist Zedekiah.

In the 11^th year and the 3^rd month, and the 1^st day Ezekiel is to speak to Pharaoh Apries is also known as Hophra. Pharaoh Apries had a big ego and thought he was the one that built and designed the Nile. He thought he was god; his ego is being addressed and is told that he is going to be slain and ultimately he was in 570 BCE.

That gets us to one final set of charts starting on the next page about the dating comparisons of this. I have used a lot of dates by necessity and I have also done a lot of research on these different individuals that have looked into the same general history of time.

It turns out there is an excellent article in Wikipedia on the Kings of Judah, and they are all written about on a table that looks like the one on the previous page. They are compared with the chronology between four guys that have studied this. Albright, Thiele, Galil, and Kitchen.

I would mention that there is a fifth guy not on the chart or in the article, but his name is James Ussher that did an amazing work dating back to 1650 CE titled the Annals of the World. He is one of the first chronologists that has looked deeply into the creation, and the period of time of the Israelites and dated the creation back to 4004 BCE.

Many of Ussher’s dates are similar to what we see on the slide, but not all of them. Albright Thiele, Galil, and Kitchen, comparatively show most of the same dates that we have established here. This was a comparison that I did just to see what others thought. The one that is the closest is Albright and he used non-accession dating in his analysis, by comparison to Thiele, Galil, and Kitchen who apparently have all used accession dating.

To come up with some differences, they aren’t so minor when you finally get to what our target is, and that is Ezekiel chapter 40.

We wanted to know the actual date and will get to that in the next presentation. This dating comparison has been useful just as a summary.

Courtesy Wikipedia Kings of Judah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kings_of_Judah

Not included: James Ussher -The Annals of the World.pub 1650 CE

Do Your Own Homework

Every word of YHWH is pure ^{G6884=to fuse metal, refine}: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

(Pro 30:5-6 KJV)

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search ^{H1875=to tread or frequent, seek or ask for} me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13 KJV)

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

(Mat 21:22 KJV)

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try ^{G1381=test, examine} the spirits whether they are of Elohim: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1Jn 4:1 KJV)

https://www.answersoflife.com/