The document summarizes why Israel went into captivity based on passages from Ezekiel and Daniel. It describes how Israel was repeatedly called rebellious for defiling God's sanctuary and engaging in idolatrous worship. It then discusses Nebuchadnezzar's strategy of exiling the ruling class and intellectuals to leave only poor people in Israel. Cyrus later allowed the exiles to return and helped them rebuild, as Daniel had foretold over 150 years prior based on Isaiah's prophecy.

2. Why Israel Went Into Captivity
In Ezekiel 2:3,8,5 verses, Israel was called
rebellious seven times.
Ezek. 5:11 “Wherefore, [as] I live, saith
the Lord GOD; Surely, because thou
hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy
detestable things, and with all thine
abominations, therefore will I also
diminish [thee]; neither shall mine eye
spare, neither will I have any pity.”

3. Ezekiel 8:15,16
8:15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen [this], O
son of man? turn thee yet again, [and] thou shalt see
greater abominations than these.
8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the
LORD'S house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of
the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about
five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple
of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they
worshipped the sun toward the east.
Worshipping the sun right at the Temple!

5. Ezekiel 8:14
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the
LORD'S house which [was] toward the north; and,
behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
Tammuz was the male Babylonian sex god. Ishtar, the
sex goddess was his wife and sister.
At Jerusalem they were incorporating this Babylonian
sex worship and had many prostitutes at the Temple and
sex was part of their worship.
The prophet Hosea was told to go to the Temple and
pick out a prostitute for a wife as he was to live out a
pantomime for all Israel to know they were prostituting
themselves with strange gods.

7. DANIEL
Daniel was born about 622 B. C.
Nebuchadnezzar made 3 trips to Jerusalem
First time was 605 B.C.
– Took many precious utensils from Temple in
Jerusalem and placed them in the temple of Bel
Merodach
Jewish youth taken to Babylon, Royal and well to do
families
Daniel taken in first visit about the age of 16
Ezekiel taken in second visit in 597 B.C.

10. Rabbah Vs Jerusalem
Eze. 21:18 The word of the LORD came unto
me again, saying,
21:19 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.
21:20 Appoint a way, that the sword may
come to Rabbath of the Ammonites, and to
Judah in Jerusalem the defenced.

11. Ezekiel 21:22,23
21 For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of
the way, at the head of the two ways, to use
divination: he made [his] arrows bright, he
consulted with images, he looked in the liver.
21:22 At his right hand was the divination
for Jerusalem, to appoint captains, to open the
mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with
shouting, to appoint [battering] rams against the
gates, to cast a mount, [and] to build a fort.

13. Nebuchadnezzar’s Third Trip
586 B. C. An extended siege to city
Leveled the city to the ground
Completely destroyed the Temple
Only the poorest people are left
– The gold is gone
– The intellegencia is gone
– The capital is gone
– The Sanctuary is gone
– No one to rebel is left

14. Strategy of Nebuchadnezzar
1. Taking as prisoners all the royal and middle
class, the intellectual and trained men.
Eze. 1:1 592 B.C. by Chebar river – Ezekiel
among the captives, the holding pen for slaves
2. Left only poor uneducated people in Judah
3. Confiscated their gods, idols, and sacred
objects.
4. Took all their gold, silver and brass
5. A scorched earth policy

15. Strategy of Cyrus
1.Allowed the captives to return to their
own land.
2. Returned to them their gods and sacred
relics.
3. Helped them to rebuild their cities
4. Peoples had different attitude towards
their captives

16. Cyrus Divinely Called
Daniel made known to Cyrus
Daniel was Prime Minister for several
years
Daniel only person who was Prime
Minister of two world Empires.
During that time Daniel was put in the
lion’s den, at about 85 years old.
You are never too old to serve and never
to old to be persecuted.

17. Daniel read Scripture to Cyrus
written 150 years before birth of Cyrus
Isa. 44:28 to 45:1 to 5
“That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my
pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the
temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Chapter 45: 1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus,
whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I
will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved
gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Two events revealed to Cyrus:
1. Open to him the two leaved gates
2. Rebuild city and Temple

18. Daniel Read to Cyrus
45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places
straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut
in sunder the bars of iron:
45:3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness,
and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest
know that I, the LORD, which call [thee] by thy name,
[am] the God of Israel.
45:4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine
elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have
surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
45:5 I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there
is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not
known me:

19. This Prophecy written over 150
Years Before Cyrus Was Born
Isaiah lived at 700 B.C.
Cyrus took Babylon as a general under
Darius at 538 B.C.
Darius died three years later and Cyrus
became leader of Media-Persian Empire in
535 B.C.

20. The Return of the Jews
The seventy year prophecy
Jer. 29:10 “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.
Babylonian captivity 605
Cyrus decreed Jews to return 535
70 years