Smoke. Ruins. Chains. To anyone standing in Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the conclusion seemed unavoidable: the plan of God had hit the rocks. To think that an unexpected arc of astonishing narrative was in the making—incredibly powerful and personally relevant when one connects the prophetic dots and sees the global picture—would have been out of the question.
Connecting the prophetic dots and the rise of the Godfearers (Seeking The Way image)
Almost every great story has a moment when everything appears lost. For the people of God, it came twice — in 721 B.C., when Assyria scattered the ten tribes of Israel, and in 586 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar “set fire to the temple of the Lord” (Jeremiah 52:13, NIV) and dragged Judah into captivity. The date: the 9th of Av — July 23 in 2026.
Both ancient Israel and Judah were defeated and their leaders taken into exile. (Seeking The Way image)
