Jeremiah 52:24

 Jeremiah 52:24 says, And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:  These were five men from the temple.  Verse twenty-five adds, 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.  Matthew Henry points out this was two men from the city, five from the court, and sixty out of the country, that with the five already mentioned was a total of seventy, which was the number of the elders of Israel.  He says the fact that there seem to be two more is because Jeremiah and Ebed-melech were two of those taken, and they were discharged.  Verse twenty-six states, So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah.  Nebuzaradan,  captain of the guard,  brought these men to Nebuchadrezzar,  king of Babylon.   Verse twenty-seven adds, And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.  Nebuchadrezzar had all these men killed, and the rest of the people of Judah taken away captive.  God's people, who by now were His in name only, were killed or taken captive because they had turned away from God.   If we turn away from God today as a people who are known as a Christian nation, we should not be surprised if God allows us to be defeated.  Verse twenty-eight says, This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty:  In the seventh year of his reign, Nebuchadrezzar carried three thousand and twenty-three people of Judah into captivity.   Verse twenty-nine adds, In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem eight hundred thirty and two persons:  Eleven years later,  when Jerusalem fell, he carried another eight hundred and twenty-two people.   Verse thirty continues, In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.  Two years later, Nebuchadrezzar carried another seven hundred forty-five away captive.   The total of those carried away captive was four thousand six hundred, which was not a great number to represent all the people of Judah.   Verse thirty-one declares, And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,  When a new ruler came to power in Babylon,  he had Jehoiachin brought out of prison.  Verse thirty-two adds, And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above.the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon,   The new king was kind to Jehoiachin and placed him above the other kings that were with him in Babylon.  Verse thirty-three continues, And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.  Verse thirty-four concludes,  And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.  Though no longer in power, Jehoiachin lived the rest of his life in relative ease.  God had warned the people of Judah that they would fall, and they did, because of their corruption.   We can warn the people of the world today that they will fall into everlasting punishment if they do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.