A Very Simple Survey of the Bible
II Kings 17:1 – 25:30
Under the Fifth Course of Punishment Israel would experience God walking contrary to them “in fury.” The abomination of their apostasy and their persistent hardness of heart would cause God’s soul to “abhor them.” In view of their negative response to the Fourth Course, in the days of King Hoshea the Fifth Course came upon the Northern kingdom (Israel/Samaria). It came upon the Southern kingdom (Judah) following the days of King Josiah. II Kings 17:1-25:30 records its arrival. The judgments of the Fifth Course are described in Leviticus 26:27ff. The “fury” of the Lord’s wrath would involve Israel’s removal from the land and the endurance of a state of captivity. Israel would be ransacked, wasted, and destroyed from off their land. Their “sanctuaries,” both idolatrous and the temple of the Lord, would be destroyed. They would be “cast from the Lord’s presence,” become Satan’s “lawful captive,” and their enemy would possess their land. The description of the Fifth Course in Leviticus 26 indicates that it would be an extensive course. God described just how extensive it would be through the prophets He raised up at the time it was ready to arrive. The Fifth Course would have five installments to it. (These are represented above by the small numbers 1-5 underneath the time line.) Each of these five installments would have a special feature and a special trouble all its own. With Israel being delivered into the hands of their enemies, the Fifth Course of Punishment is spoken of as “the times of the Gentiles.” A successive number of Gentile dominions would hold sway over Israel and the people would suffer many things at their hands. The First Installment was the Assyrian/Babylonian captivity. The Fifth Course will end with the fifth installment, in which the LORD will have His day of wrath. In this “time of Jacob’s trouble” the Lord will thoroughly purge Israel of all its apostate element and will completely avenge His cause with Israel against the Gentiles of Satan’s plan of evil.