2 Kings 24:1-20
In accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah 10, the Assyrian power has been annihilated. On its ruins the Babylonian empire has been set up, encompassing virtually the whole of the ancient world, including with it Egypt, and in consequence to be known as the first great empire of the Gentiles. It is a turning point in the history of the world. Israel has been set aside; it ceases to be the centre of God’s government on the earth. Government is now allocated to the Gentiles (the non-Jewish people) and that period, called the times of the Gentiles, is about to begin. It still exists today.
Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, who also became the vassal of Nebuchadnezzar, rebels at the end of three years, and his son Jehoiachin (or Jeconiah), who succeeds him, follows the same course. Then there takes place the first transportation of Judah to Babylon. A most solemn end! Even so, a last opportunity remains for the poor people of the land who escape deportation. As their ruler, Nebuchadnezzar sets on the throne of Judah a third son of Josiah: Zedekiah. But this latter acts no differently from his predecessors. The utter blindness of these last three kings is the more inexcusable because Jeremiah the prophet did not cease during their reigns to warn them on behalf of the LORD.