Olivet Discourse – Babylonian Captivity

Babylonian Captivity, Siege and Desolation in the Olivet Discourse

In order to apply the Babylonian Captivity as a ‘type’ of the Great Tribulation, it is important to study one of the most prominent Bible prophecy passages in the New Testament: the Olivet Discourse (Mat 24, Mk 13, Luke 21).  By observing prophetic concepts such as ‘captivity’, ‘desolation’, abominations’, ‘siege’, famines’, ‘pestilences’, etc., the relationship of the Babylonian Captivity to the Olivet Discourse can be quite obvious.  Please view the video below or consider the written study that follows below.

Babylonian Captivity Olivet Discourse

Click to view video

Key Verses in the Olivet Discourse

Harmony of Matthew, Mark with Luke 21:20-24

Comparison of Great Tribulation and Babylon Captivity

Deception / false prophets

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages about Deception

Wars (spiritual war – 2 Tim 2:4)

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Famines (lack of hearing the word of God – Amos 8:11)

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Pestilences (spiritual sickness of sin / lawlessness – Is 1:4-6)

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Earthquakes (earthly judgments from God – Rev 16:18)

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Tribulation (persecution – killing, offences, betrayal, hatred)

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Recognition of the need to flee to the mountains

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Days of Vengeance / Wrath

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Need for endurance / Gospel goes forth / Tribulation ‘shortened’ for the elect

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages

New Testament Direct References to the Babylonian Captivity

Siege of Jerusalem in the Olivet Discourse

Discussed in the Olivet Discourse

Sieges of Jerusalem

1st Siege (Jehoiakim) – 607 B.C. – Daniel Taken

2nd Siege (Jehoiachin) – 598 B.C. – Ezekiel Taken

3rd Siege (Zedekiah) – 588 -586 B.C. – 18 months

Abomination of desolation in the holy place (church) / Jerusalem encompassed / Captivity

Olivet Discourse Verses

Babylonian Captivity Passages – Abomination of Desolation

Desolations due to Abominations

Abominations Cause Desolation

Abominations Cause Captivity

Abominations Cause Famine, Sword, Pestilence (Elements of desolation)

Abominations as worship of other gods and idols

Old Testament Summary

Penalties and Curses in the Law of God for Disobedience

The Land to be Desolate and Will Enjoy Her Sabbaths

Jeremiah and Ezekiel – Desolation of Jerusalem and the Land of Judah

Desolation of Israel / Judah Discussed in the Minor Prophets

Desolations is the outcome of the Babylonian Captivity (Listing of Verses from Jeremiah, lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel)

Key Verses in the Olivet Discourse

Harmony of Matthew, Mark with Luke 21:20-24

In the Great Tribulation, we find an explicit statement that there will be a captivity, a siege and a desolation of Jerusalem, just before the second coming of Jesus Christ:

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh … And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

(Luk 21:20, 24)

We find in the parallel passage to Mat 24 concerning the Abomination of Desolation that Christians will be led away (spiritually) captive into all nations and Jerusalem (the spiritual Holy Place, where Christians physically gather together – i.e., the church) shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled (i.e., Judgment Day, see Rev 11).  Consider the following parallel harmony of Matthew, Mark and Luke concerning the ‘captivity’.

Mat Mark Luke
(Mat 24:15)

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 (Mar 13:14a)

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,)

 (Luk 21:20)

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

(Luk 19:43)

For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
(Mat 24:16)

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

 (Mar 13:14b)

then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

 (Luk 21:21)

Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

(Luk 21:22)

For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

(Luk 19:44)

And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
(Mat 24:17)

Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house:

(Mat 24:18)

Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

 (Mar 13:15)

And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house:

(Mar 13:16)

And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
(Mat 24:19)

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

(Mat 24:20)

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

 (Mar 13:17)

But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

(Mar 13:18)

And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

 (Luk 21:23a)

But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! …
(Mat 24:21)

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

(Mat 24:22)

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

 (Mar 13:19)

For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

(Mar 13:20)

And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

 (Luk 21:23b)

… for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

(Luk 21:24)

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

A careful review of the above harmony indicates that the event that causes the need for those in Judea to flee (Mat 24:16, Mk 13:14 and Lk 21:21) is recorded as the Abomination of Desolation in Mat 24:15 and Mk 13:14, but as the siege of Jerusalem in Lk 21:20. Similarly, later in the passage we find that the definition of Great Tribulation in Mat 24:21 and Mk 13:19 is the great ‘distress’ noted in Lk 21:23.  However, more detail is given concerning the great distress (tribulation):

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

(Luk 21:24)

 

In Lk 21:24, the Greek word for ‘captivity’ occurs a total of 9 times (G161, G162, G163, G164, Greek: aichmalōtizō) in the New Testament.  The other notable occurrences for our study are:

  • The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luk 4:18)
  • But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Rom 7:23)
  • Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Eph 4:8, quoted from Ps 68:18, Jud 5:12)
  • For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts (2Ti 3:6)
  • He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (Rev 13:10)
  • Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2Co 10:5)

Other words used for being taken captive in the New Testament besides G161-G164 are G2221 and G4812):

  • Those that are not Christians (G2221):
    • Taken captive by Satan – 2 Tim 2:26
  • Those that are Christians:
    • Sharing the Gospel and converting people is as ‘catching’ fish – Lk 5:10 (G2221)
    • In the flesh, still in captivity to the law of sin – Ro 7:25
    • Led away captives into the nations as Jerusalem is trodden down of the Gentiles – Lk 21:24
  • False teaching:
    • Led away by philosophy of men – Col 2:8

Comparison of Great Tribulation and Babylon Captivity

Deception / false prophets

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (Mat 24:4)
  • For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Mat 24:5)
  • And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you (Mar 13:5)
  • For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Mar 13:6)
  • And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Mat 24:11)
  • Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. (Mat 24:23)
  • For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Mat 24:24)
  • Behold, I have told you before. (Mat 24:25)
  • Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. (Mat 24:26)
  • And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: (Mar 13:21)
  • For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. (Mar 13:22)
  • But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. (Mar 13:23)
  • And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. (Luk 21:8)

Babylonian Captivity Passages about Deception

Peace, Peace, when there is no Peace

  • They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine (Jer 5:12)
  • They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jer 6:14)
  • For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jer 8:11)
  • We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble! (Jer 8:15)
  • Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. (Jer 14:13-15)
  • Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble! (Jer 14:19)
  • For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.(Jer 16:5)
  • They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. (Jer 23:17)
  • And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. (Jer 25:37)
  • The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. (Jer 28:9)
  • For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. (Jer 30:5)
  • Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. (Lam 2:14)
  • Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. (Eze 7:25)
  • Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: (Eze 13:10)
  • To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 13:16)

False Shepherds (Pastors)

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. (Jer 23:1-4)

False Prophets against Jeremiah

Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness. For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right. For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD. Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD. And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD. And when this people, or the prophet, or a priest, shall ask thee, saying, What is the burden of the LORD? thou shalt then say unto them, What burden? I will even forsake you, saith the LORD. And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall say, The burden of the LORD, I will even punish that man and his house. Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the LORD answered? and, What hath the LORD spoken? And the burden of the LORD shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God. Thus shalt thou say to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? But since ye say, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye say this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have sent unto you, saying, Ye shall not say, The burden of the LORD;  (Jer 23:9-38)

And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD’S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.  (Jer 27:8-18)

And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD, Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him. Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it. And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.  (Jer 28:1-11)

For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.  (Jer 29:8-9)

Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon; Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity; Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD. Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes; And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire; Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD. Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks. Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you? For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet. Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:  (Jer 29:15-31)

And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,  (Jer 36:23-27)

Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?  (Jer 37:17-19)

Lamentations

  • Her gates are sunk into the ground; he hath destroyed and broken her bars: her king and her princes are among the Gentiles: the law is no more; her prophets also find no vision from the LORD. (Lam 2:9)
  • Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. (Lam 2:14)
  • Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord? (Lam 2:20)
  • For the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the just in the midst of her (Lam 4:13)

False Prophets of Ezekiel 13

And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is fallen, shall it not be said unto you, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall that ye have daubed with untempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD. Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe to the women that sew pillows to all armholes, and make kerchiefs upon the head of every stature to hunt souls! Will ye hunt the souls of my people, and will ye save the souls alive that come unto you? And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies? Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly. Your kerchiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out of your hand, and they shall be no more in your hand to be hunted; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.  (Eze 13:1-23)

Wars (spiritual war – 2 Tim 2:4)

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (Mat 24:6)
  • For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom … (Mat 24:7a)
  • And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. (Mar 13:7)
  • For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom … (Mar 13:8a)
  • But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. (Luk 21:9)
  • Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Luk 21:10)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Summary

  • Sword (Eze 14:17, see also Jer 15:2-3, Eze 5:12, 5:17, Eze 221:3-4, 9-15, Eze 29:8, Lev 26:25, Jer 25:9, etc.)
    • Represents spiritual warfare (e.g., Rev 13:7, 13:15, Eph 6:17, 2 Cor 10:3-5)
    • Satan uses the Bible – Mat 4:6
    • Bible is sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17) but God only reveals spiritual truth to His people (1 Cor 2:10, Mat 13:10-17) through the Holy Spirit (John 14:16)
    • Killing by words / tongue ‑ 1 John 3:15, Mat 5:21‑22, Pr 11:9, Ro 3:13‑15, Jer 9:3, 18:18, Ps 140:3, Ro 3:13, James 3:8, Pr 18:21, Ps 52:4, 57:4, 59:7, 64:3, 120:2
    • Christians die daily – Mat 24:9, 2 Cor 1:9, 4:10-12, 6:9,7:3, Ro 8:35-39, James 5:6, 1 John 3:15, 1 Cor 4:9, 15:31, Mat 5:21-22, Hab 1:2-4, James 2:9-11,  Ps 94:1-7, 44:22, Rev 6:9, Mk 8:35
    • Christians are living sacrifices – Rev 6:9-11, Ro 12:1-2, 6:13, 6:16, 6:19, Heb 10:22, 1 Pet 2:5, Phil 4:18, Ro 15:16, 2 Tim 4:6, Phil 2:17, John 16:2
    • Spiritual battle, not physical – Rev 6:3-4, Eph 6:11-12, 2 Tim 2:4, Col 1:13, 1 Pet 2:11, James 4:1
    • Sword between members of one’s own family – Mat 10:34-36, Lk 12:51-53
    • Afflicted, killed, and hated ‑ Mat 24:9, Mk 13:9, Lk 21:12
    • Slain for Word of God and testimony – Rev 6:9-11, 7:9-17, 11:7-10
    • Beast has war with saints – Rev 13:8, 6:3-4
  • Offended, betrayed, and hated ‑ Mat 24:10, Mk 13:12‑13, Lk 21:16‑19

War

  • My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. (Jer 4:19)
  • Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out. (Jer 6:4)
  • They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion. (Jer 6:23)
  • Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us. (Jer 21:2)
  • Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. (Jer 21:4)
  • The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. (Jer 28:8)
  • Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. (Jer 38:4)
  • And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain. (Jer 39:4)
  • Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war. (Jer 41:3)
  • Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon: (Jer 41:16)
  • Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: (Jer 42:14)
  • How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war? (Jer 48:14)
  • Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD. (Jer 49:2)
  • Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts. (Jer 49:26)
  • Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD. (Jer 50:30)
  • Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; (Jer 51:20)
  • And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted. (Jer 51:32)
  • 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 52:7)
  • He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king’s person, which were found in the city; and the principal scribe of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city. (Jer 52:25)
  • Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons: (Eze 17:17)
  • And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers. (Eze 26:9)
  • They of Persia and of Lud and of Phut were in thine army, thy men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in thee; they set forth thy comeliness. (Eze 27:10)
  • Thy riches, and thy fairs, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and all thy men of war, that are in thee, and in all thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the midst of the seas in the day of thy ruin. (Eze 27:27)
  • And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. (Eze 32:27)
  • Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 39:20)
  • I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them (Dan 7:21)
  • And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Dan 9:26)

Sword

  • In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion. (Jer 2:30)
  • Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. (Jer 4:10)
  • They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: (Jer 5:12)
  • And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword. (Jer 5:17)
  • Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side. (Jer 6:25)
  • I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them. (Jer 9:16)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: (Jer 11:22)
  • The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace. (Jer 12:12)
  • When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Jer 14:12)
  • Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. (Jer 14:13)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. (Jer 14:15)
  • And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them. (Jer 14:16)
  • If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not. (Jer 14:18)
  • And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity. (Jer 15:2)
  • And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy. (Jer 15:3)
  • She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the LORD. (Jer 15:9)
  • They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. (Jer 16:4)
  • Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. (Jer 18:21)
  • And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. (Jer 19:7)
  • For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. (Jer 20:4)
  • And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. (Jer 21:7)
  • He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. (Jer 21:9)
  • And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. (Jer 24:10)
  • And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. (Jer 25:16)
  • Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. (Jer 25:27)
  • For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts. (Jer 25:29)
  • A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. (Jer 25:31)
  • And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. (Jer 26:23)
  • And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. (Jer 27:8)
  • Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? (Jer 27:13)
  • Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. (Jer 29:17)
  • And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: (Jer 29:18)
  • Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. (Jer 31:2)
  • Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. (Jer 32:24)
  • And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; (Jer 32:36)
  • For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword; (Jer 33:4)
  • Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword: (Jer 34:4)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jer 34:17)
  • Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. (Jer 38:2)
  • For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD. (Jer 39:18)
  • Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. (Jer 41:2)
  • Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. (Jer 42:16)
  • So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. (Jer 42:17)
  • Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn. (Jer 42:22)
  • And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword. (Jer 43:11)
  • And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. (Jer 44:12)
  • For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: (Jer 44:13)
  • But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. (Jer 44:18)
  • Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. (Jer 44:27)
  • Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. (Jer 44:28)
  • For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. (Jer 46:10)
  • Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee. (Jer 46:14)
  • He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword. (Jer 46:16)
  • thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still. (Jer 47:6)
  • There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. (Jer 48:2)
  • Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood. (Jer 48:10)
  • For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: (Jer 49:37)
  • Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land. (Jer 50:16)
  • A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. (Jer 50:35)
  • A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed. (Jer 50:36)
  • A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed. (Jer 50:37)
  • Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. (Jer 51:50)
  • Behold, O LORD; for I am in distress: my bowels are troubled; mine heart is turned within me; for I have grievously rebelled: abroad the sword bereaveth, at home there is as death. (Lam 1:20)
  • The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied. (Lam 2:21)
  • They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. (Lam 4:9)
  • We gat our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness. (Lam 5:9)
  • Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them. (Eze 5:2)
  • A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. (Eze 5:12)
  • So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it. (Eze 5:17)
  • And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. (Eze 6:3)
  • Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. (Eze 6:8)
  • Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Eze 6:11)
  • He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. (Eze 6:12)
  • The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. (Eze 7:15)
  • Ye have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 11:8)
  • Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge you in the border of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 11:10)
  • And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. (Eze 12:14)
  • But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 12:16)
  • Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: (Eze 14:17)
  • For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? (Eze 14:21)
  • And all his fugitives with all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward all winds: and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it. (Eze 17:21)
  • And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. (Eze 21:3)
  • Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: (Eze 21:4)
  • That all flesh may know that I the LORD have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. (Eze 21:5)
  • Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: (Eze 21:9)
  • And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer. (Eze 21:11)
  • Cry and howl, son of man: for it shall be upon my people, it shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors by reason of the sword shall be upon my people: smite therefore upon thy thigh. (Eze 21:12)
  • Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 21:13)
  • Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. (Eze 21:14)
  • I have set the point of the sword against all their gates, that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah! it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter. (Eze 21:15)
  • Also, thou son of man, appoint thee two ways, that the sword of the king of Babylon may come: both twain shall come forth out of one land: and choose thou a place, choose it at the head of the way to the city. (Eze 21:19)
  • Appoint a way, that the sword may come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced. (Eze 21:20)
  • And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning the Ammonites, and concerning their reproach; even say thou, The sword, the sword is drawn: for the slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of the glittering: (Eze 21:28)
  • These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her. (Eze 23:10)
  • And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remnant shall fall by the sword: they shall take thy sons and thy daughters; and thy residue shall be devoured by the fire. (Eze 23:25)
  • Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword. (Eze 24:21)
  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. (Eze 25:13)
  • And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 26:6)
  • He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. (Eze 26:8)
  • With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. (Eze 26:11)
  • For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 28:23)
  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. (Eze 29:8)
  • And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. (Eze 30:4)
  • Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. (Eze 30:5)
  • Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 30:6)
  • The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity. (Eze 30:17)
  • Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. (Eze 30:21)
  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. (Eze 30:22)
  • And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. (Eze 30:24)
  • But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. (Eze 30:25)
  • They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. (Eze 31:17)
  • To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 31:18)
  • Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall. (Eze 32:10)
  • For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee. (Eze 32:11)
  • They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes. (Eze 32:20)
  • The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. (Eze 32:21)
  • Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: (Eze 32:22)
  • Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. (Eze 32:23)
  • There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit. (Eze 32:24)
  • They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain. (Eze 32:25)
  • There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living. (Eze 32:26)
  • Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword. (Eze 32:28)
  • There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. (Eze 32:29)
  • There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit. (Eze 32:30)
  • Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 32:31)
  • For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 32:32)
  • Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: (Eze 33:2)
  • If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; (Eze 33:3)
  • Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. (Eze 33:4)
  • But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. (Eze 33:6)
  • Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land? (Eze 33:26)
  • Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. (Eze 33:27)
  • Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: (Eze 35:5)
  • And I will fill his mountains with his slain men: in thy hills, and in thy valleys, and in all thy rivers, shall they fall that are slain with the sword. (Eze 35:8)
  • After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. (Eze 38:8)
  • And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. (Eze 38:21)
  • And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. (Eze 39:23)
  • And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. (Dan 11:33)

Fight

  • And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee. (Jer 1:19)
  • And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. (Jer 15:20)
  • Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. (Jer 21:4)
  • And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. (Jer 21:5)
  • And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper. (Jer 32:5)
  • Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. (Jer 32:24)
  • And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger. (Jer 32:29)
  • They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. (Jer 33:5)
  • Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant. (Jer 34:22)
  • And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. (Jer 37:8)
  • For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire. (Jer 37:10)
  • Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon. (Jer 41:12)
  • The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken. (Jer 51:30)
  • Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. (Dan 10:20)
  • And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. (Dan 11:11)

Famines (lack of hearing the word of God – Amos 8:11)

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • … and there shall be famines (Mat 24:7b)
  • … and there shall be famines (Mar 13:8c)
  • And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luk 21:11b)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Summary

  • Famine (Eze 14:13, see also Eze 4:16 (desolation), Eze 5:16-17, Lev 26:26, Is 3:1, Jer 15:2-3, Lam 4:9-10, Mat 24:7, Lk 21:11, etc.)
    • Spiritually represents the famine of not hearing the Word of God – e.g., Amos 8:11, Mat 4:4, Deut 8:3, Is 30:20, Is 55:2-3, Is 55:10-11

Famine Passages

  • They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine: (Jer 5:12)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: (Jer 11:22)
  • When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Jer 14:12)
  • Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. (Jer 14:13)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. (Jer 14:15)
  • And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them. (Jer 14:16)
  • If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not. (Jer 14:18)
  • And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the LORD; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity. (Jer 15:2)
  • They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. (Jer 16:4)
  • Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. (Jer 18:21)
  • And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. (Jer 21:7)
  • He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. (Jer 21:9)
  • And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. (Jer 24:10)
  • And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. (Jer 27:8)
  • Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? (Jer 27:13)
  • Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. (Jer 29:17)
  • And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: (Jer 29:18)
  • Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. (Jer 32:24)
  • And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; (Jer 32:36)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jer 34:17)
  • Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. (Jer 38:2)
  • Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. (Jer 42:16)
  • So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. (Jer 42:17)
  • Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn. (Jer 42:22)
  • And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. (Jer 44:12)
  • For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: (Jer 44:13)
  • But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. (Jer 44:18)
  • Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. (Jer 44:27)
  • 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. (Jer 52:6)
  • Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine. (Lam 5:10)
  • A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. (Eze 5:12)
  • When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and will break your staff of bread: (Eze 5:16)
  • So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it. (Eze 5:17)
  • Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Eze 6:11)
  • He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. (Eze 6:12)
  • The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. (Eze 7:15)
  • But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 12:16)
  • Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: (Eze 14:13)
  • For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? (Eze 14:21)
  • I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. (Eze 36:29)
  • And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. (Eze 36:30)

Pestilences (spiritual sickness of sin / lawlessness – Is 1:4-6)

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • … and pestilences (Mat 24:7c)
  • … and troubles (Mk 13:8d)
  • … and pestilences (Luk 21:11c)
  • And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Mat 24:12)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Summary

  • Pestilence (Eze 14:19, see also Lev 26:14-16, Eze 5:12, Deut 28:21-22, Deut 28:59-61, Ps 91:3, 91:6, Jer 14:12, Jer 24:10, Mat 24:7, Lk 21:11)
    • Spiritually represents spiritual sickness of sin – Mat 8:17, Eze 34:4, Ps 102:4, Pr 13:12, Ps 38:2-3, Is 1:4-6, Jer 8:22, Jer 30:12, Is 53:4-5, 1 Tim 1:10, 2 Tim 1:13, 4:3, Titus 1:9,13, 2:1-2, 1 Cor 11:26-30, Jer 31:8, Ps 41:4, 103:1-4, 1 Pet 2:24, John 9:39, 12:40, Is 35:5-6, Acts 28:7, Mal 4:2)
    • Healing is Salvation ‑ Jer 31:8, John 9:39, 12:40, Is 35:5‑6, 53:3‑5, Acts 28:27, Mal 4:2, Ps 107:20, 19:22, Jer 8:22, Ps 30:2, 33:6, Job 5:18, Ex 23:25
    • Healing of the nations ‑ Ps 147:3, Is 6:10, 57:18‑19, Jer 17:14, Mal 4:2, Hos 14:4, Ez 47:8‑11, Rev 22:2
    • Healed from sickness of iniquity ‑ Is 57:19
    • Heals bruise / wound of sin ‑ Is 30:6, Jer 30:14‑17, Micah 1:9, Nah 3:19, Deut 32:39, Is 53:5
    • Heal unfaithfulness ‑ Jer 3:22
    • Heal soul from sin ‑ Ps 41:4
    • Heal iniquity, Heal diseases ‑ Ps 103:1‑4
    • Healed from transgression ‑ Is 53:5, 1 Pet 2:24
    • Heal from disease ‑ Ex 15:26
    • Heal brokenhearted ‑ Ps 147:3

Pestilence Passages

  • When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Jer 14:12)
  • And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. (Jer 21:6)
  • And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. (Jer 21:7)
  • He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. (Jer 21:9)
  • And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers. (Jer 24:10)
  • And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. (Jer 27:8)
  • Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? (Jer 27:13)
  • The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. (Jer 28:8)
  • Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. (Jer 29:17)
  • And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: (Jer 29:18)
  • Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. (Jer 32:24)
  • And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; (Jer 32:36)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jer 34:17)
  • Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. (Jer 38:2)
  • So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. (Jer 42:17)
  • Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn. (Jer 42:22)
  • For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: (Jer 44:13)
  • A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. (Eze 5:12)
  • So will I send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon thee. I the LORD have spoken it. (Eze 5:17)
  • Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Eze 6:11)
  • He that is far off shall die of the pestilence; and he that is near shall fall by the sword; and he that remaineth and is besieged shall die by the famine: thus will I accomplish my fury upon them. (Eze 6:12)
  • The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. (Eze 7:15)
  • But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 12:16)
  • Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: (Eze 14:19)
  • For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? (Eze 14:21)
  • For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 28:23)
  • Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. (Eze 33:27)
  • And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. (Eze 38:22)

Earthquakes (earthly judgments from God – Rev 16:18)

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • … and earthquakes, in divers places.  (Mat 24:7d)
  • … and there shall be earthquakes in divers places … (Mar 13:8b)
  • And great earthquakes shall be in divers places … (Luk 21:11a)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Summary

Old Testament – ra’ash – H7493 (30 occurrences), H7494 (17 occurrences)

  • Literally means to shake, earthquake

New Testament (seismos – G4578 (14 occurrences) derived from seio – G4579 (5 occurrences)

  • Literally, commotion, quake, earthquake

Symbolic meaning

  • God’s wrath / judgment – Jud 5:4, 2 Sam 22:8, Ps 18:7, Ps 46:3, Ps 60:2, Ps 68:8, Ps 77:18, Is 13:13, Is 24:18
  • Satan’s work – Is 14:16 (king of Babylon)

Shake / Earthquake Passages

H7493
  • LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field  of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.  (Jdg 5:4)
  • Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. (2Sa 22:8)
  • Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is (Job 39:20)
  • Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. (Psa 18:7)
  • Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. (Psa 46:3)
  • Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh. (Psa 60:2)
  • The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence  of God, the God of Israel.  (Psa 68:8)
  • There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.  (Psa 72:16)
  • The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook. (Psa 77:18)
  • Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place,  in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.  (Isa 13:13)
  • They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (Isa 14:16)
  • And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst  of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high  are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.  (Isa 24:18)
  • I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. (Jer 4:24)
  • The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan: the whole land trembled at the sound  of the neighing of his strong ones; for they are come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein.  (Jer 8:16)
  • But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.  (Jer 10:10)
  • The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.  (Jer 49:21)
  • At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.  (Jer 50:46)
  • And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.  (Jer 51:29)
  • By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise  of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.  (Eze 26:10)
  • Thus saith the Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?  (Eze 26:15)
  • The suburbs shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots. (Eze 27:28)
  • I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.  (Eze 31:16)
  • So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.  (Eze 38:20)
  • The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: (Joe 2:10)
  • The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem;  and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.  (Joe 3:16)
  • I saw the Lord standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered. (Amo 9:1)
  • The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.  (Nah 1:5)
  • For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; (Hag 2:6)
  • And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.  (Hag 2:7)
  • Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; (Hag 2:21)
H7494
  • And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: (1Ki 19:11)
  • And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (1Ki 19:12)
  • He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. (Job 39:24)
  • Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. (Job 41:29)
  • For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. (Isa 9:5)
  • Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. (Isa 29:6)
  • Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons. (Jer 10:22)
  • At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing  of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness  of hands;  (Jer 47:3)
  • Then the spirit took me up, and I heard behind me a voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of the LORD from his place. (Eze 3:12)
  • I heard also the noise of the wings of the living creatures that touched one another, and the noise of the wheels over against them, and a noise of a great rushing. (Eze 3:13)
  • Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness; (Eze 12:18)
  • So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. (Eze 37:7)
  • For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;  (Eze 38:19)
  • The words of Amos, who was among the herdmen of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel, two years before the earthquake.  (Amo 1:1)
  • The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. (Nah 3:2)
  • And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.  (Zec 14:5)
G4578
  • And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. (Mat 8:24)
  • For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (Mat 24:7)
  • Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Mat 27:54)
  • And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (Mat 28:2)
  • For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. (Mar 13:8)
  • And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luk 21:11)
  • And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. (Act 16:26)
  • And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; (Rev 6:12)
  • And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. (Rev 8:5)
  • And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of()men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Rev 11:13)
  • And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Rev 11:19)
  • And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (Rev 16:18)
G4579
  • And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? (Mat 21:10)
  • And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; (Mat 27:51)
  • And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead (Mat 28:4)
  • Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. (Heb 12:26)
  • And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (Rev 6:13)

Tribulation (persecution – killing, offences, betrayal, hatred)

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. (Mat 24:9)
  • And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. (Mat 24:10)
  • And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (Mat 24:12)
  • But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. (Mar 13:9)
  • But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. (Mar 13:11)
  • Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. (Mar 13:12)
  • And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake … (Mar 13:13a)
  • But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. (Luk 21:12)
  • And it shall turn to you for a testimony. (Luk 21:13)
  • Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: (Luk 21:14)
  • For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. (Luk 21:15)
  • And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. (Luk 21:16)
  • And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. (Luk 21:17)
  • But there shall not an hair of your head perish. (Luk 21:18)
  • For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Mat 24:21)
  • For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. (Mar 13:19)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Affliction

  • For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim. (Jer 4:15)
  • The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. (Jer 15:11)
  • LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. (Jer 16:19)
  • Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee. (Jer 30:15)
  • And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD. (Jer 31:28)
  • Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. (Lam 1:3)
  • The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. (Lam 1:4)
  • Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. (Lam 1:5)
  • Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old, when her people fell into the hand of the enemy, and none did help her: the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her sabbaths. (Lam 1:7)
  • Her filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified himself. (Lam 1:9)
  • Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. (Lam 1:12)
  • I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. (Lam 3:1)
  • Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. (Lam 3:19)
  • For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. (Lam 3:33)

Persecutions – Jeremiah

  • LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. (Jer 15:15)
  • Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction. (Jer 17:18)
  • But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. (Jer 20:11)
  • And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them: (Jer 29:18)
  • Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. (Lam 1:3)
  • Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. (Lam 3:43)
  • Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD. (Lam 3:66)
  • Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness. (Lam 4:19)
  • Our necks are under persecution: we labour, and have no rest. (Lam 5:5)

Call of Jeremiah

But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.   (Jer 1:7-10)

And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.   (Jer 1:16-19)

Call of Ezekiel

And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.   (Eze 3:4-9)

Then the spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house. But thou, O son of man, behold, they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: And I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover: for they are a rebellious house. But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.   (Eze 3:24-27)

Recognition of the need to flee to the mountains

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains (Mat 24:16)
  • Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house (Mat 24:17)
  • Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. (Mat 24:18)
  • … then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains (Mar 13:14b)
  • And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house (Mar 13:15)
  • And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. (Mar 13:16)
  • Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. (Luk 21:21)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Flee from Jerusalem to the mountains

  • And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. (Jer 37:11-12)
  • ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction. (Jer 6:1)
  • 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. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and all his army was scattered from him. (Jer 52:7-8)
  • And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king’s garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain. But the Chaldeans’ army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him. (Jer 39:4-5)
  • Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. (Jer 38:2)
  • He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. (Jer 21:9)
  • Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live. But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me: And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back. So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. (Jer 38:17-23)
  • Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel. And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight. And in the morning came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou? Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them. Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity. And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes. My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there. And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them. (Eze 12:3-14)
  • And the city was broken up, 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, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. (2Ki 25:4-5)
  • For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein. (Jer 4:27-29)
  • I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. (Jer 27:12-14)
  • Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. (Jer 38:17-18)
  • 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 52:6-7)
  • Then did the cherubims lift up their wings, and the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. (Eze 11:22-23)

Escape (to the mountains / out of trouble / salvation)

  • And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. (Gen 19:17)
  • Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: (Gen 19:19)
  • Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. (Gen 19:20)
  • Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. (Gen 19:22)
  • For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. (2Ki 19:31)
  • And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. (Ezr 9:8)
  • Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. (Est 4:13)
  • But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost. (Job 11:20)
  • I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. (Psa 55:8)
  • Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. (Psa 56:7)
  • Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. (Psa 71:2)
  • Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape. (Psa 141:10)
  • A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. (Pro 19:5)
  • And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
  • (Ecc 7:26)
  • And the inhabitant of this isle shall say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we flee for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria: and how shall we escape? (Isa 20:6)
  • For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. (Isa 37:32)
  • And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. (Isa 66:19)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. (Jer 11:11)
  • And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. (Jer 25:35)
  • And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes (Jer 32:4)
  • And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon. (Jer 34:3)
  • But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand. (Jer 38:18)
  • So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. (Jer 38:23)
  • So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. (Jer 42:17)
  • So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape. (Jer 44:14)
  • Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. (Jer 44:28)
  • Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. (Jer 46:6)
  • And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the LORD hath spoken. (Jer 48:8)
  • The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple. Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel. (Jer 50:28-29)
  • Yet will I leave a remnant, that ye may have some that shall escape the sword among the nations, when ye shall be scattered through the countries. (Eze 6:8)
  • And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations. (Eze 6:9)
  • But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity. (Eze 7:16)
  • But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? (Eze 17:15)
  • Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape. (Eze 17:18)
  • He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (Dan 11:41)
  • He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (Dan 11:42)
  • A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (Joe 2:3)
  • Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of distress. (Oba 1:14)
  • Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Mat 23:33)
  • Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luk 21:36)
  • And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape. (Act 27:42)
  • And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? (Rom 2:3)
  • There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1Co 10:13)
  • For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1Th 5:3)
  • How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him (Heb 2:3)
  • See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven (Heb 12:25)

Flee (G5343, G5437) in the New Testament

  • And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.  (Mat 2:13)
  • But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Mat 3:7)
  • And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. (Mat 8:33)
  • But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.  (Mat 10:23)
  • Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Mat 23:33)
  • Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains (Mat 24:16)
  • But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day (Mat 24:20)
  • But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. (Mat 26:56)
  • And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. (Mar 5:14)
  • But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains (Mar 13:14)
  • And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. (Mar 13:18)
  • And they all forsook him, and fled. (Mar 14:50)
  • And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. (Mar 14:52)
  • And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.  (Mar 16:8)
  • Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Luk 3:7)
  • When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. (Luk 8:34)
  • Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. (Luk 21:21)
  • And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (Joh 10:5)
  • But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (Joh 10:12)
  • The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (Joh 10:13)
  • Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons. (Act 7:29)
  • And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship (Act 27:30)
  • Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1Co 6:18)
  • Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. (1Co 10:14)
  • But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (1Ti 6:11)
  • Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2Ti 2:22)
  • Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (Heb 11:34)
  • See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven (Heb 12:25)
  • Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Jas 4:7)
  • And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (Rev 9:6)
  • And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Rev 12:6)
  • And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. (Rev 16:20)
  • And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (Rev 20:11)

Lot and his Daughters Flee to the mountains (type of flight during Great Tribulation)

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

(Gen 19:15-17)

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife.

(Luk 17:28-32)

And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.

(Gen 19:12-13)

Flee from Babylon

  • And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Rev 18:4)
  • Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath redeemed his servant Jacob. (Isa 48:20)
  • Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain. (Jer 50:8-9)
  • For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence. Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. (Jer 51:5-7)
  • Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. (Jer 51:8-9)
  • And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall. My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. (Jer 51:44-45)
  • Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD. As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. (Jer 51:48-50)

Flee from all the nations (judgment day and salvation)

  • The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. (Isa 52:10-12)
  • And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2Co 6:15-18)
  • Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zec 14:1-5)
  • Where God’s people come out of:
    • And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (Isa 11:11)

Flee from tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram

And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.

(Num 16:26-27)

Jerusalem is a Type of the organized worldly church

Symbolic References to Church:

  • Jerusalem – Gal 4:26, Heb 12:22, Ps 135:21
  • Where 2 or 3 are gathered together in Jesus’ name – Mat 18:15-20
    • Christians are saints – Acts 9:13, Ro 1:7, 16;:, 1 Cor 1:2, etc.
  • The house of God – 1 Tim 3:14-15, 2 Tim 2:20, Eph 2:19, Heb 3:6
  • The temple of God – 2 Thess 2:4, 1 Cor 3:16‑17, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:21
  • Jesus is the cornerstone – Ps 118:22, Mat 21:42, Acts 4:11, Eph 2:20, 1 Pet 2:6

But the earthly church contains both saved and unsaved – 1 Cor 11:18-19, Mat 7:21-23, Lk 13:23-30, Acts 8:12-20, etc.

We know from the Olivet Discourse that the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ will be set up in the Holy Place (Jerusalem, where the temple / house of God was).  We have also established the true spiritual Israel and spiritual Jew is anyone who is a true child of God (whether male or female, whether Jew or Greek).  We are all Abraham’s seed and heir to the promises of God (Gal 3:26-29).  Christians are also typified as the ‘house of God’ (John 14:2, 2 John 10, 1 Cor 16:15‑19, 2 Tim 2:20, Eph 2:19, Heb 3:6, 1 Pet 2:5, 1 Pet 4:17, Ro 16:5) and the ‘temple of God’ (Lk 11:51, 2 Thess 2:4, 1 Cor 3:16‑17, 2 Cor 6:16, Eph 2:21).  Both the house of God and the temple of God were located in Jerusalem.  We find the following facts concerning Jerusalem in the New Testament:

Earthly Jerusalem

Where the 1st Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ Originates From:

  • It is where Simeon (just and devout) awaited the consolation of Israel – Lk 2:25
  • It is where Anna awaited the redemption – Lk 2:38
  • Where Daughters of Jerusalem were – Lk 23:38
  • Jesus commanded disciples to wait there for the Holy Spirit – Lk 24:44, Acts 1:4
  • Repentance preached beginning at Jerusalem – Lk 24:47
  • Christians are to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth – Acts 1:8
  • Gospel preached in Judea and Jerusalem – Acts 2:14
  • The church began in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (3000 baptized – Acts 2:41) – Acts 2
  • 5000 believed – Acts 4:4
  • 120 waiting for day of Pentecost – Acts 1:15
  • Early church active in Jerusalem – Acts 4:6, 5:16
  • Filled with apostles doctrine – Acts 5:29
  • Disciples multiplied greatly – Acts 6:7
  • Peter came from there – Acts 11:2, 11:22
  • Prophets originated from Jerusalem to Antioch – Acts 11:27
  • Saul joins disciples at Jerusalem – Acts 9:26-28, Gal 1:17-18, 2:1
  • Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem after 1st missionary journey – Acts 12:25
  • First church council – Acts 15
  • Ordination of elders and apostles – Acts 16:4
  • Paul fully preached Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum – Ro 15:19

Where religious activity occurs:

  • It was referred to as a Holy City – Mat 4:5, Mat 27:53
  • Jesus presented to the Lord by parents – Lk 2:22
  • Swear not by since it is the city of the great king – Mat 5:34-35
  • Where the unsaved Pharisees, priests and scribes were – Lk 22:2, 23:10, Acts 4:5, 6:2, 23:9
  • Jerusalem is a type of being under the bondage of the law (Hagar, Mt. Sinai) – Gal 4:25-26
  • Where the Old Testament feasts and Sabbaths were held – John 7:1-14, John 2:23, 6:4, 12:1, 13:1, 18:28, 1 Cor 5:7, etc.

Where persecution of Jesus Christ and Christians Occur:

  • Where the early church was persecuted – Acts 3-4
  • No prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem – Lk 13:33-34, Mat 23:37-38
  • Jesus to die at Jerusalem – Lk 9:31
  • Jesus condemned / suffered at Jerusalem (priests and scribes) – Mat 20:17-18, Mat 16:21
  • Where all things that were written would be accomplished – Lk 18:31
  • Paul persecuted followers of the Way and brought them to Jerusalem – Acts 9:2
  • Pau did evil to saints – Acts 9:13, 21
  • Great persecution at Jerusalem – spread disciples abroad, except apostles – Acts 8:1, 14
  • Paul returns bound in spirit – Acts 20:21-22, 21:4, 22:5
  • Paul should leave since he will not be received – Acts 22:17-18
  • Paul sent there to be killed – Acts 25:3
  • Paul received judgment in Jerusalem – Acts 25:1, 7, 9, 15, 20, 24 (priests and scribes)
  • Contribution for poor saints at Jerusalem – Ro 15:25-26, 31, 1 Cor 16:3

Represents the church trodden down by the Gentiles during Great Tribulation – Lk 21:24, Rev 11:2

Summary of Earthly Jerusalem:

We find that Jerusalem was the original headquarters for the Christian church.  The Holy Spirit was given in Jerusalem and the Gospel and missionaries were dispatched from Jerusalem.  However, it was also a center of Christian persecution by the religious establishment that was there.

Jerusalem (symbolic of the church) becomes Babylon

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. (Rev 18:4)

And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee … (Rev 18:23)

Christians (as the light of a candle and bring the voice of the bridegroom and bride), are commanded to come out of Babylon that they be not partakers of her sins and that they do not receive her plagues (Rev 18:4, 23).   Revelation 18:4 is a very clear and literal that God’s people (i.e., Christians) are to come out of Babylon.  In these passages, Christians are referred to as ‘my people’ (Hos 1:10, 2:23, Heb 8:10, 2 Cor 6:16, Ro 9:25, etc.), the light of the candle (Mat 5:14-16, Eph 5:8, Rev 1:13, 20) and the bride (Rev 21:2, 9, 22:17, John 3:29, etc.).  This command to depart is that they do not partake of Babylon’s sins of whoredom, greed and persecution of Christians.  To come out should be referred to not participating in the evil behavior of the worldly apostate Christianity.  There have been similar commands for God’s people to depart from evil circumstances such as Lot’s departure from Sodom (Gen 19:12-13), departure from Egypt (Israel’s departure from Korah’s rebellion (Num 16:26-27) and references in the prophets to depart from Babylon (Is 48:20, Is 52:11, Jer 37:11-12, 50:89, 51:6, 51:45, 51:50).  Finally, during the Great Tribulation, there is a command from God for His people to depart from Jerusalem (Mat 24:15-16, Mk 13:14, Lk 21:21-22).  God’s people are not to participate in that which is sinful (2 Cor 6:16-17).

Jerusalem served Babylon 70 years (became part of Babylonian Empire)

  • The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. (Jer 25:1-14)
  • For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. (Jer 29:10)
  • In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (Dan 9:2)
  • Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? (Zec 7:5)
  • Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying (Ezr 1:1)
  • Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 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 the LORD 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. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up. (2Ch 36:17-23)
  • The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psa 90:10)
  • Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? (Zec 1:12)

Days of Vengeance / Wrath

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! (Mat 24:19)
  • But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day (Mat 24:20)
  • But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! (Mar 13:17)
  • And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. (Mar 13:18)
  • For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (Luk 21:22)
  • But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. (Luk 21:23)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Vengeance

  • But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause. (Jer 11:20)
  • But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause. (Jer 20:12)
  • For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. (Jer 46:10)
  • Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. (Jer 50:15)
  • The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple. (Jer 50:28)
  • Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense. (Jer 51:6)
  • Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple. (Jer 51:11)
  • Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry. (Jer 51:36)
  • Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. (Lam 3:60)
  • 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. (Eze 24:8)
  • Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them (Eze 25:12)
  • And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred (Eze 25:14-15)
  • And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them. (Eze 25:17)

Wrath

  • Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on high places; for the LORD hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. (Jer 7:29)
  • But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. (Jer 10:10)
  • Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. (Jer 18:20)
  • And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. (Jer 21:5)
  • Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely (Jer 32:37)
  • In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? (Jer 44:8)
  • I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it. (Jer 48:30)
  • Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. (Jer 50:13)
  • The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof. (Lam 2:2)
  • I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. (Lam 3:1)
  • The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. (Eze 7:12)
  • They have blown the trumpet, even to make all ready; but none goeth to the battle: for my wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. (Eze 7:14)
  • They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity. (Eze 7:19)
  • Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it (Eze 13:15)
  • And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and skilful to destroy. (Eze 21:31)
  • Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. (Eze 22:21)
  • Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 22:31)
  • For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel (Eze 38:19)

Anger

  • Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. (Jer 2:35)
  • Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. (Jer 3:5)
  • Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. (Jer 3:12)
  • For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. (Jer 4:8)
  • I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. (Jer 4:26)
  • The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.
  • (Jer 7:18-20)
  • Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the LORD in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? (Jer 8:19)
  • LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. (Jer 10:24)
  • For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal. (Jer 11:17)
  • They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD. (Jer 12:13)
  • And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you. (Jer 15:14)
  • And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. (Jer 17:4)
  • Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger. (Jer 18:23)
  • And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. (Jer 21:5)
  • The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. (Jer 23:20)
  • And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. (Jer 25:6)
  • Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. (Jer 25:7)
  • And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.  (Jer 25:37-38)
  • The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it. (Jer 30:24)
  • And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD.
  • For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face, Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Jer 32:29-32)
  • Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: (Jer 32:37)
  • They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city. (Jer 33:5)
  • It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. (Jer 36:7)
  • For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. (Jer 42:18)
  • Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. (Jer 44:3)
  • Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day. (Jer 44:6)
  • For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: (Jer 49:37)
  • My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. (Jer 51:45)
  • For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (Jer 52:3)
  • Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. (Lam 1:12)
  • How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger! (Lam 2:1)
  • He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. (Lam 2:3)
  • And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest. (Lam 2:6)
  • The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied. (Lam 2:21)
  • Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD’S anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed. (Lam 2:22)
  • Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. (Lam 3:43)
  • Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD. (Lam 3:66)
  • The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof. (Lam 4:11)
  • The anger of the LORD hath divided them; he will no more regard them: they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders. (Lam 4:16)
  • Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them. (Eze 5:13)
  • So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. (Eze 5:15)
  • Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations. (Eze 7:3)
  • Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. (Eze 7:8)
  • Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. (Eze 8:17)
  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even rend it with a stormy wind in my fury; and there shall be an overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hailstones in my fury to consume it. (Eze 13:13)
  • Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger. (Eze 16:26)
  • But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. (Eze 20:8)
  • Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness. (Eze 20:21)
  • As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you (Eze 22:20)
  • And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 25:14)
  • Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee. (Eze 35:11)
  • In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. (Eze 43:8)
  • Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. (Dan 9:16)
  • Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. (Dan 11:20)

Need for endurance / Gospel goes forth / Tribulation ‘shortened’ for the elect

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mat 24:13)
  • And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Mat 24:14)
  • And the gospel must first be published among all nations. (Mar 13:10)
  • … but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mar 13:13b)
  • In your patience possess ye your souls. (Luk 21:19)
  • And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:22)
  • And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. (Mar 13:20)

Babylonian Captivity Passages

Patiently Endure by Serving the King of Babylon

  • And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. (Jer 25:11)
  • And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.Jer 27:6)
  • And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. (Jer 27:8)
  • Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon (Jer 27:9)
  • But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. (Jer 27:11)
  • I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. (Jer 27:12)
  • Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? (Jer 27:13)
  • Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. (Jer 27:14)
  • Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? (Jer 27:17)
  • For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. (Jer 28:14)
  • And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. (Jer 40:9)

The Recording of Jeremiah’s Words (Jeremiah 36)

And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD: Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’S house. And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house, in the ears of all the people. When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, Then he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be. And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.   (Jer 36:1-32)

Return from Captivity – Salvation and Eternity Passages

  • Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? (Isa 49:21)
  • I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts. (Isa 45:13)
  • Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their (Jer 24:5)
  • And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. (Jer 28:4)
  • Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;  (Ezr 2:1)
  • These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;  (Neh 7:6)
  • Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. (Est 2:6)
  • The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day.  (Est 3:14)
  • The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.   (Est 8:13)
  • Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.  (Psa 68:18)
  • He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives. (Psa 106:46)
  • For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! (Isa 14:1-4)
  • The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isa 61:1)
  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; (Eze 39:25)
  • Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people. (Hos 6:11)
  • For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, (Joe 3:1)
  • And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. (Amo 9:14)
  • And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity. (Zep 2:7)
  • At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD. (Zep 3:20)
  • Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment. (Lam 2:14)
  • When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them: (Eze 16:53)
  • For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. (Jer 30:3)
  • Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land  of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him (Jer 30:10)
  • Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. (Jer 30:16)
  • Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. (Jer 30:18)
  • Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness. (Jer 31:23)
  • Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD (Jer 32:44)
  • And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. (Jer 33:7)
  • The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD. (Jer 33:11)
  • Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed  to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them. (Jer 33:26)
  • But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land  of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him  (Jer 46:27)
  • For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (Joe 3:1-2)
  • For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (Jer 29:10-14)
  • All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. (Ezr 1:11)
  • Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city; (Ezr 2:1)
  • Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; (Ezr 4:1)
  • And the children of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first month. For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity,  and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness  of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat, (Ezr 6:19-21)
  • Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve  bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve  he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD. (Ezr 8:35)
  • Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice. (Ezr 9:4)
  • Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water: for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.  And they made proclamation  throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; And that whosoever  would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation  of those that had been carried away. (Ezr 10:6-8)
  • And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. (Ezr 10:16)
  • These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;  (Neh 7:6)
  • Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.  (Est 2:6)
  • Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;  (Ezr 2:1)
  • Now in the second year of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old    and upward, to set forward the work of the house of the LORD.  (Ezr 3:8)
  • And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy, (Ezr 6:16)
  • Also the children of those that had been carried away, which were come out of the captivity, offered burnt offerings unto the God of Israel, twelve  bullocks for all Israel, ninety and six rams, seventy and seven lambs, twelve  he goats for a sin offering: all this was a burnt offering unto the LORD.  (Ezr 8:35)
  • Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.  (Ezr 9:7)
  • That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah;  and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.  (Neh 1:2)
  • And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. (Neh 1:3)
  • These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city;  (Neh 7:6)
  • And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.  (Neh 8:17)
  • And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south. (Oba 1:20)

New Testament Direct References to the Babylonian Captivity

  • Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. (Act 7:43)
  • And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel (Mat 1:11-12)
  • So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (Mat 1:17)

In the New Testament, the Babylonian captivity was referred to in Acts 17:43 and Mat 1:11, 12, 17.  In these passages the Greek word used for ‘carry away’ is metoikesia which literally means to go to ‘another house’.  Therefore, the New Testament refers to the Babylonian captivity as being carried away to another house.  Christians are referred to as being sons of God and therefore, part of God’s household, which is discussed extensively in the New Testament (see Eph 2:19, 3:15, Mat 10:25, Gal 6:10, 1 John 3:1, etc.).  Therefore, when Israel / Judah was taken into captivity, there was a symbolic meaning that they are no longer physically being shepherded by a church being run by true Christians, but by the church of Babylon (which is false Christianity).  This apostate church in the Great Tribulation is ruled by the Great Whore Babylon and is inhabited by demons and all foul spirits (Re 18:1-4).  We also recall that the King of Babylon is used as a metaphor for Satan and a type of the Antichrist, called Lucifer (Is 14:3-14).  Therefore, as true Christians are led away captives into all nations and the Gentiles trod down Jerusalem, this will be a period of time that Christians are taken captive by Satan as they are ‘captured’ in churches controlled by Satan and his demons.

Siege of Jerusalem in the Olivet Discourse

Discussed in the Olivet Discourse

  • And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. (Luk 21:20-21)
  • For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side (Luk 19:43)
  • Note: See Harmony analysis above at beginning.

Sieges of Jerusalem

1st Siege (Jehoiakim) – 607 B.C. – Daniel Taken

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes  (Dan 1:1-3)

2nd Siege (Jehoiachin) – 598 B.C. – Ezekiel Taken

  • At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. (2Ki 24:10-17)
  • And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us. Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison. Then Pharaoh’s army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. (Jer 37:1-5)

3rd Siege (Zedekiah) – 588 -586 B.C. – 18 months

  • 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. 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, 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. (2Ki 25:1-4)
  • And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. (Jer 19:9)
  • Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. (Jer 21:4)
  • He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. (Jer 21:9)
  • The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; (Jer 32:1-3)
  • 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)
  • For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his 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. 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 52:3-7)
  • Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the LORD 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. And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it: (Eze 24:1-3)

Abomination of desolation in the holy place (church) / Jerusalem encompassed / Captivity

Olivet Discourse Verses

  • When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Mat 24:15)
  • But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) … (Mar 13:14a)
  • And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
  • (Luk 21:20)
  • And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luk 21:24)

Babylonian Captivity Passages – Abomination of Desolation

Desolations due to Abominations

  • So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. (Jer 44:22)
  • Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. (Eze 33:29)

Abominations Cause Desolation

  • So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. (Jer 44:22)
  • Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. (Eze 33:29)

Abominations Cause Captivity

And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.  (Eze 6:9)

Abominations Cause Famine, Sword, Pestilence (Elements of desolation)

  • Thus saith the Lord GOD; Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Eze 6:11)
  • But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 12:16)

Abominations as worship of other gods and idols

In the Old Testament, the word for abomination is used about 160 times (Hebrew words – H8441, H8581, H8251), with about 50 of these occurrences being in the book of Ezekiel (which involved Judah’s captivity in Babylon).  The following are Old Testament abominations:

  • Sexual sins – Lev 18:22-30, Deut 22:5
  • Mysticism / occult – Deut 18:9-12, 2 Chr 33:6-7
  • Child sacrifice to other gods / divination, etc. – Deut 18:10, 2 Ki 16:3, 2 Chr 28:3, 2 Chr 33:6
  • Worshiping and sacrificing to other gods and idols – Deut 20:18, Deut 32:16-17, 2 Ki 23:13 (Ashtoreth, Chemosh, Milcom), Deut 17:4 (sun, moon and stars), 2 Ki 21;11-12, 2 Chr 33:1-7, Deut 27:15, 2 Chr 28:3, 2 Chr 33:8 (Baal), 2 Chr 33:3 (stars), Eze 6:9 (Cannanite gods), 1 Ki 14:23-24, 2 Chr 28:3 (Sodomites), Jer 7:9-11 (Baal, etc.), Pr 26:25, Eze 5:11, Ezekiel chapters 7 and 8, Eze 11: 18, 21, Eze 37:23, Ezekiel 16 (Israel’s harlotry), Zech 9:7, Nah 3:6, Hos 9:10, Jer 4:1, Jer 7:30, Jer 13:27, Jer 32:34, Jer 16:18, 1 Ki 11:5, 1 Ki 11:7, Dan 9:27, Dan 11:31, Dan 12:11), Eze 20:7-8, Eze 20:30 (Egypt), Is 66:3, Deut 29:17, 2 Ki 23:24, etc.

It should be evident from the Old Testament that the primary abomination is that of worshiping other gods and idols.  Child sacrifice and the occult were to worship and serve other gods.  Even the sexual sins discussed in the book of Leviticus and Deuteronomy could be considered as an idol put before the worship of the true God.

In Pr 26:25, the Bible notes those who speak graciously, but inside, their hearts are full of abominations.  In other words, one can appear to be holy, but whose heart can be full of idolatry.   A very important passage is also Jer 7:9-11 (which in part, is quoted in the New Testament when Christ cleansed the temple and said that the house of God has become a den of thieves / robbers – John 2:16, Lk 19:45-46, Mk 11:17, Mat 21:13):

Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, says the LORD.

(Jer 7:9-11)

In Jer 7:9-11, God defines that when His house (see Holy Place study below) is referred to as becoming a den of robbers, this refers to those who are part of the church that commit sin, including the sin of worshiping other gods (e.g., those in the church of God who practice the burning of incense unto Ball and walk after gods whom they know not.)

Old Testament Summary

In the Old Testament, the words for desolation (H8047, H8074, H8075, H8076, H8077, H8078) occur about 190 times.  The Hebrew words (relevant to our study) translated as ‘desolate’ actually mean to be ‘stunned’ or ‘astonished’.  These are the words that are used in the three key passages in Daniel which will be examined in greater details further below:

  • Dan 8:13, 27 (Little horn of one of the 4 horns of Greece)
  • Dan 9:17-18, 26-27 (70 weeks prophecy)
  • Dan 11:31, Dan 12:11 (King of the North versus King of the South passage)

The vast majority of the references to desolation refers to what happens to the land and cities (including Jerusalem) of Israel / Judah as a judgment for sins.  The most prominent of these judgments was the Babylonian captivity of Judah resulting in the desolation of Jerusalem / Judah for 70 years.  Other prophecies in the Old Testament involve God’s judgment on other nations outside of Israel / Judah:

  • Ammon – Eze 25:3, Jer 49:2, Eze 6:14, 12:20, Zeph 2:9
  • Moab – Zeph 2:9
  • Edom – Jer 49:17, 20, Eze 35:3-15, Mal 1:3, Joel 3:19, Eze 35:7-9
  • Babylon – Jer 50:3, 13, 45, Jer 51:26, 37, 41, 62, Joel 2:20, Jer 25:12, Is 13:9
  • Egypt – Eze 29:3-12, Eze 30:7, 14, Eze 32:10-15, Joel 3:19
  • Tyre – Eze 26:15-16, 27:35, 28:19
  • Phillistines – Zeph 2:4
  • Assyria / Nineveh – Zeph 2:13
  • Ai – Josh 8:28
  • Hazor – Jer 49:33
  • Israel (Omni / Ahab) – Micah 6:16

From a positive standpoint, the term desolation is also used in the context of being the place where God’s people must be saved from (e.g., see Is 61:1-4, Is 54:1, Eze 36:34-36, Jer 33;10, Is 62:1-5).  Examples are provided below:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

(Isa 61:1-4, quoted in Mat 3L17, Lk 4:18-19)

 

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, says the LORD.

(Isa 54:1, quoted in Gal 4:17)

 

And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

(Eze 36:34-36)

 

In addition, the Hebrew word ‘desolate’ (translated as astonished or wondered – see underlined words below) is used to describe the passion of Christ in the Old Testament:

 

As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

(Isa 52:14)

 

And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

(Isa 59:16)

 

And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.

(Isa 63:5)

 

The Lord’s Response to Solomon’s Prayer – Desolation due to Forsaking the LORD and following other gods

In 1 Ki 9:1-9 and 2 Chr 7:12-22, the Bible records the LORD’s response to Solomon’s prayer of dedication (2 Chr 6, 1 Ki 8:22-61) after the completion of the temple in Jerusalem.  In 1 Ki 9:6-9 and 2 Chr 7:21, we find these words of the LORD:

 

But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations. And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to everyone that passes by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house? And it shall be answered: Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

(2Ch 7:19-22, see also 1 Ki 9:6-9)

In this passage the above underlined word ‘astonishment’ is the identical Hebrew word usually translated as desolation. We see in this important passage that if God’s people forsake the LORD God and take other gods to worship and serve, they will become a desolation (or astonishment).  This is similar to what we have seen in Deut 28 and Jer 25.  We find extensive discussion in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel regarding how Judah did indeed forsake the Lord and became a desolation (more on this below).

 

Penalties and Curses in the Law of God for Disobedience

 

In Lev 26:14-43 and Deut 28:15-68, the Mosaic Law informs us regarding the consequences of disobedience of the people of Israel.

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee…The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

(Deu 28:15, 36-37)

In the above passage, we find that Israel would become an astonishment (i.e., desolation) because they did not observe all the commandments of the Lord culminating in serving other gods.   We find similar information in Lev 26:

 

I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.

(Lev 26:22)

 

And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors. And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lies desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it…The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lies desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.

(Lev 26:31-35, 43)

It is important to note that desolation was coming to the land because Israel despised the judgments and statutes of the Lord.  Also, it is important to note that Israel was to be ‘scattered’ due to ‘wild beasts’ and the ‘sword’.  It was by these tools that the land, cities and sanctuary (holy place) were made desolate and the land would enjoy her sabbaths.

The Land to be Desolate and Will Enjoy Her Sabbaths

As we saw above in Lev 26:34-35, 43, the land of Israel was to become desolate and enjoy her Sabbaths (days of rest).  This prophecy in Lev 26:34-35, 43 was fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed and the removal of the people to be captives to Babylon was initiated in 606 B.C. and completed in 586 B.C.  The 70 years of desolation was completed in 536 B.C., where Cyrus, King of Persia made a proclamation that Judah could return to Jerusalem.

And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 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 the LORD 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 36:18-21, see also 2 Chr 36:22-23 and Ezra 1:1)

The prophecy of Jeremiah is found in Jer 25.  The cause of the 70 year desolation is found in these verses:

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

(Jer 25:3-11)

It should be noticed in Jer 25:5-6 (see underlined section above) that Judah went after other gods and served and worship them.  This was foretold in Deut 28 as we saw above.  We should be able to see that the cause of desolation is serving and worshiping other gods (e.g., idolatry).

A further important verse in order to understand the nature of ‘desolation’ is found in Dan 9:2:

In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

(Dan 9:2)

 

We find in Dan 9:2 (see also 2 Chr 36:21 and Jer 29:10) that the desolation of Jerusalem were to last 70 years.  This 70 years is measured from 606 B.C. (4th year of the reign of Jehoiakim (see Jer 25:1-3) to the proclamation of Persian King Cyrus in 536 B.C. that allowed Judah to return to Jerusalem (2 Chr 36:22-23).  This is important since the physical desolation (destruction) of Jerusalem did not occur until 586 B.C. (i.e., 20 years after the beginning of the 70 year desolation of Jerusalem).  However, in 606 B.C., captives were already being taken to Babylon (Dan 1:1-4, 2 Kings 24:12).  It was at this time that Israel began serving the King of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar), who is a symbol for Satan (Is 14:3-14).  Later in this study, we will find that the captivity of some of the people of Judah was a part of the desolation of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel – Desolation of Jerusalem and the Land of Judah

Jeremiah and Ezekiel were two major prophets of the Old Testament who prophesied at the time of the ‘desolation’ of Jerusalem and the Land of Judah.  As we saw above in Dan 9:2, the desolation lasted for 70 years from 606 B.C. (1st year of King Nebuchadnezzar, 4th year of King Jehoiakim – see Jer 25:1-3, 11, Jer 29:10, Jer 46:2, 2 Ki 24:12) to the fall of Babylon in 536 B.C., when King Cyrus of Persia made a decree that the people of Judah could return to their land (2 Chr 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4).  Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem and was there prior t and at the time of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Ezekiel, on the other hand was a captive (Eze 1:1-3) at the river Chebar in the land of the Chaldeans (ruled by Babylon).  Both of these prophets foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and had much to say about the desolation of the Jerusalem and the land of Judah:

Jeremiah:

  • Because of foolishness and no knowledge, land to be desolate and people will flee from the horsemen – Jer 4:22-29
  • Jerusalem and the land to become desolate – Jer 6:8
  • The Lord will make Jerusalem and the cities of Judah desolate – Jer 9:11
  • Since the pastors are dull-hearted, the flocks shall be scattered by the desolation that comes from the north – Jer 10:21-22
  • Enemies of Jacob to make his habitation desolate – Jer 10:25
  • The pastors have destroyed God’s vineyard, the land has become desolate, sword of the Lord has devoured the land – Jer 12:10-12
  • People forsook the Lord, land to be desolate, Judah to be scattered before their enemies – Jer 18:15-17
  • Judah to fall by the sword and have plagues resulting in desolation of Jerusalem – Jer 19:7-8
  • Land to be desolate (given into the hands of the Chaldeans) with no man or beast due to the evil of Judah – Jer 32:43
  • Babylon’s army to make cities of Jerusalem desolate – Jer 34:21-22
  • Due to worshiping other gods, cities of Judah and streets of Jerusalem are desolate – Jer 44:5-6
  • Lamentations of Jeremiah for the desolation of the people, the land and mountain of Zion – Lam 1:4-8, 1:13, 1:16-17, 2:10-15, 3:11, 4:5,4:12, 5:18

Ezekiel:

  • Famine to cause desolation (astonishment) – Eze 4:16-17
  • Altars to be desolate due to idolatry – Eze 6:4
  • Idolatry and child sacrifice is a cause of desolation and scattering – Eze 20:23-26
  • Due to whoredoms of idolatry, Jerusalem to become desolate (Eze 23:33, Eze 23:4, 14-20, etc.)
  • Desolation of the land and mountains by sword and beasts due to idolatry, fornication and abominations – Eze 33:25-29

A careful examination of the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel indicate that the abominations of the people were their whoredoms of idolatry and pursuing other gods.   It is important to look at Eze 33:25-29:

Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall ye possess the land? Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one his neighbour’s wife: and shall ye possess the land? Say thou thus unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the caves shall die of the pestilence. For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

(Eze 33:25-29)

This passage is important since Eze 33:29 clearly links Judah’s abominations (idols / other gods) with the land becoming desolate.  We know that Babylon was used as an instrument in God’s hand to bring about desolation of Judah by captivity, scattering and killing with the sword, wild beasts, famine and and pestilence.

Desolation of Israel / Judah Discussed in the Minor Prophets

The following are additional passages that discuss the desolation of Israel and Judah:

  • Israel’s vines and fig trees to be made desolate – Hos 2:12
  • Locusts have made land desolate – Joel 1:17, 2:3
  • High places of Isaac to be desolate – Amos 7:9
  • Israel to be brought out of captivity, desolate cities to be rebuilt – Amos 9:14
  • The idols of Israel have caused Samaria and Jerusalem to be desolate – Micah 1:5-9
  • Israel to be desolate and sick due to their sins / abominations – Micah 6:10-16
  • The land shall be desolate due to the fruit of their doings – Micah 7:13
  • Due to idolatry and worshiping other gods, the houses of Judah will become desolate – Zeph 1:4-6, 13
  • The Lord scattered the people so their pleasant land was desolate – Zech 7:14

Desolations is the outcome of the Babylonian Captivity (Listing of Verses from Jeremiah, lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel)

  • Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. (Jer 2:12)
  • The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. (Jer 4:7)
  • For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. (Jer 4:27)
  • Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. (Jer 6:8)
  • Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate. (Jer 7:34)
  • And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. (Jer 9:11)
  • Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons. (Jer 10:22)
  • Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate. (Jer 10:25)
  • Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. (Jer 12:10)
  • They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. (Jer 12:11)
  • To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. (Jer 18:16)
  • And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. (Jer 19:8)
  • But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation. (Jer 22:5)
  • Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. (Jer 25:9)
  • And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. (Jer 25:11)
  • And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. (Jer 25:12)
  • To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; (Jer 25:18)
  • He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger. (Jer 25:38)
  • Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. (Jer 26:9)
  • And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. (Jer 32:43)
  • Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast, (Jer 33:10)
  • Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. (Jer 33:12)
  • Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant. (Jer 34:22)
  • Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, (Jer 44:2)
  • Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day. (Jer 44:6)
  • So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. (Jer 44:22)
  • thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant. (Jer 46:19)
  • Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein. (Jer 48:9)
  • From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate. (Jer 48:34)
  • Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD. (Jer 49:2)
  • For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. (Jer 49:13)
  • Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. (Jer 49:17)
  • Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them. (Jer 49:20)
  • And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it. (Jer 49:33)
  • For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
  • (Jer 50:3)
  • Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. (Jer 50:13)
  • How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! (Jer 50:23)
  • Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them. (Jer 50:45)
  • And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD. (Jer 51:26)
  • And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant. (Jer 51:29)
  • Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby. (Jer 51:43)
  • Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever. (Jer 51:62)
  • The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. (Lam 1:4)
  • From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint all the day. (Lam 1:13)
  • For these things I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. (Lam 1:16)
  • He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. (Lam 3:11)
  • Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. (Lam 3:47)
  • They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. (Lam 4:5)
  • Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it. (Lam 5:18)
  • And your altars shall be desolate, and your images shall be broken: and I will cast down your slain men before your idols. (Eze 6:4)
  • In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished. (Eze 6:6)
  • So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 6:14)
  • The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 7:27)
  • And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein. (Eze 12:19)
  • And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 12:20)
  • If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts (Eze 14:15)
  • Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. (Eze 14:16)
  • And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord GOD. (Eze 15:8)
  • And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. (Eze 19:7)
  • And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD. (Eze 20:26)
  • Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria. (Eze 23:33)
  • And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; (Eze 25:3)
  • Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. (Eze 25:13)
  • For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; (Eze 26:19)
  • When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living; (Eze 26:20)
  • And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. (Eze 29:9)
  • Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. (Eze 29:10)
  • And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. (Eze 29:12)
  • And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. (Eze 30:7)
  • And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No. (Eze 30:14)
  • When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. (Eze 32:15)
  • For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through. (Eze 33:28)
  • Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed. (Eze 33:29)
  • And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. (Eze 35:3)
  • I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. (Eze 35:4)
  • Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth. (Eze 35:7)
  • I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 35:9)
  • And thou shalt know that I am the LORD, and that I have heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to consume. (Eze 35:12)
  • Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. (Eze 35:14)
  • As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 35:15)
  • Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: (Eze 36:3)
  • Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; (Eze 36:4)
  • And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. (Eze 36:34)
  • And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. (Eze 36:35)
  • Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. (Eze 36:36)
  • To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. (Eze 38:12)
  • Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? (Dan 8:13)
  • In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (Dan 9:2)
  • Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. (Dan 9:17)
  • my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. (Dan 9:18)
  • And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Dan 9:26)
  • And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Dan 9:27)
  • And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
  • (Dan 11:31)
  • And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Dan 12:11)