II Kings

Elijah was one of two possible people in the Bible who never died, the other being Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah.

II Kings 2:11-12 "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces"

Nebuchadnezzar had appointed Gedaliah as governor of the land. A member of the Judean Royal Family, Ishmael, killed Gedaliah, and fearing for their lives, the Jews fled for Egypt.

II Kings 25:25-26
"But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees"

Jehoash's grandmother, Athaliah, had seized the crown after her son's death and had had any possible claimants to the throne killed. Jehoash was still a baby at the time and he was saved by his aunt, Jehosheba. Siix years later Jehoash was crowned by the High Priest, Jehoiada.

II Kings 11:19-21
"And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings. And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house. Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign"

II Kings 4:32-35
"And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes."

Elisha performed many miracles including healing leprosy, making an axe-head float and blinding the Syrian army!

Their names were Jeroboam I, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, Ahab, Ahazia, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah and Hoshea. Of all of these kings, none pleased God.

II Kings 17:1-2
"In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah began Hoshea the son of Elah to reign in Samaria over Israel nine years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him"

God's judgement against their sin meant that the people of Israel were taken away into bondage by the Assyrians.

II Kings 17:6-7
"In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods"

II Kings 25:1
"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."

Two and a half years later, Jerusalem fell and the kingdom of Judah was no more

Jehu killed Jezebel because of her sinfulness. He also had the worshippers of Baal killed and their temple destroyed. Jezebel's body was eaten by dogs, as predicted by the prophet Elijah.

II Kings 9:36-37
"Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel"

II Kings 20:9-11
"And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz"

God was true to his word and Hezekiah lived for 15 more years after he had prayed to God

The Babylonians burned all the buildings in the city and demolished the city walls. The people of Judah were taken away into bondage.

II Kings 25:9-11
"and he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard carry away"