Jeremiah’s three key prophecies (70yr, Branch, New Cove
Hold three words from Jeremiah, not a pile of woes. First, seventy years of captivity: the exile has a term. Daniel and Ezra both take up that calendar — the…
Lesson 10 · Course 54
Jeremiah and Ezekiel
Priest-prophets at the fall of Jerusalem — Branch, New Covenant, dry bones.
At a glance
Summary
Priest-prophets at the fall of Jerusalem — Branch, New Covenant, dry bones. Jeremiah is a priest-prophet from Anathoth. His work sits in 626–586 BC — the last decades before Jerusalem falls. The pulpit is not a court job; it is a priest with a hard word.
Big ideas
What to teach and remember
- Jeremiah is a priest-prophet from Anathoth. His work sits in 626–586 BC — the last decades before Jerusalem falls. The pulpit is not a court job; it is a priest with a hard word.
- His message is repent, and submit to Babylon. That is the Lord’s sentence, not cowardice. Fight the wrong empire and you fight the God who sent it.
- Lamentations is the grief that follows the sermon. The city falls, and the prophet weeps. Preach both: the warning and the tears.
- Jeremiah did not die of old age in Babylon. He died in Egypt. Do not tidy the ending to match the exile stories you already know.
- Three key prophecies still preach: seventy years of captivity, a righteous Branch, and a New Covenant. Daniel and Ezra take up Jeremiah’s word; the New Testament quotes him more than once.
- Ezekiel is taken in 597 BC — after Daniel’s 605, not ten years before him. He writes to explain why God allowed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed.
- Watch the glory leave: Ezekiel 8–11, the Shekinah departing because of four idolatries, including 25 men worshiping the sun. Then Ezekiel 37 — the valley of dry bones, a prophetic picture of Israel’s future restoration.
Key terms
People, places, and words that matter
Ezekiel 37 dry bones
The valley of dry bones is a prophetic picture of the future restoration of Israel — not a private mysticism and not a funeral. The bones are very dry; the…
Shekinah departure / temple destruction
Ezekiel writes to explain why God allowed the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. The glory does not slip out by accident. In Ezekiel 8–11 the…
Jeremiah
Jeremiah is a priest-prophet from Anathoth
Lamentations
Lamentations is the grief that follows the sermon
Ezekiel
Ezekiel is taken in 597 BC — after Daniel’s 605, not ten years before him
Covenant
Three key prophecies still preach: seventy years of captivity, a righteous Branch, and a New Covenant.
Structure
Outline / timeline
- Jeremiah’s three key prophecies (70yr, Branch, New Covenant)
- Ezekiel 37 dry bones
- Shekinah departure / temple destruction
Must remember
Facts to keep straight
| Quiz score | 100% (1 attempt) |
|---|---|
| Date | 586 BC — the last decades before Jer |
| Key claim | Jeremiah is a priest-prophet from Anathoth. His work sits in 626–586 BC — the last decades before Jerusalem falls. The pulpit is not a… |
| Key claim | His message is repent, and submit to Babylon. That is the Lord’s sentence, not cowardice. Fight the wrong empire and you fight the God who… |
| Preach | Lamentations is the grief that follows the sermon. The city falls, and the prophet weeps. Preach both: the warning and the tears. |
Compare
Side-by-side contrasts
Three key prophecies still preach
- seventy years of captivity
- a righteous Branch
- and a New Covenant
For the pulpit
Sermon hooks
- The pulpit is not a court job; it is a priest with a hard word.
- Lamentations is the grief that follows the sermon.
- Preach both: the warning and the tears.
- Three key prophecies still preach: seventy years of captivity, a righteous Branch, and a New Covenant.
Quiz drill
Quiz drill / review · open to practice · 10 items
Quiz score: 100% · 1 attempt
1. Jeremiah was quoted by both Daniel and Ezra.
TrueDaniel and Ezra both take up Jeremiah’s word. The seventy-year captivity he named is the calendar they preach and live under.
2. Jeremiah's father was a priest.
TrueJeremiah is a priest-prophet from Anathoth. The call sits on a priest’s son, not a professional court speaker.
3. Two evil Kings who provide an historical background to Jeremiah's book are Hezekiah and Josiah.
FalseHezekiah and Josiah were good kings, not evil. Do not smear the reformers to fill in Jeremiah’s background.
4. Nebuchadnezzar told his army to release Jeremiah because of Jeremiah's prophesies.
TrueThe Babylonian king knew the prophet’s word. Jeremiah had said submit to Babylon — and the army was told to let him go.
5. Jeremiah died of old age in Babylon.
FalseHe died in Egypt, not Babylon. The exile did not become his gravesite; Egypt did.
6. Jeremiah was quoted multiple times in the New Testament.
TrueThe New Testament takes up Jeremiah more than once. The Branch and the New Covenant do not stay in one book.
7. Ezekiel wrote to explain why God allowed the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
TrueThat is the burden of the book. Ezekiel is not only visions; he is the why behind the rubble.
8. Ezekiel arrived in Babylon 10 years before Daniel.
FalseDaniel went first (605). Ezekiel is taken in 597 — after Daniel, not a decade before him.
9. Ezekiel recounts that one reason for the glory of God departing the Temple was due to the false worship of the sun by 25 men.
TrueEzekiel 8–11: four idolatries, including 25 men worshiping the sun. The Shekinah leaves because the house is already defiled.
10. The Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37 was a prophetic picture of the future restoration of Israel.
TrueDry bones live. The vision is not a funeral; it is Israel’s future restoration in picture form.
Essay themes
If you preach or review
Jeremiah’s three key prophecies (70yr, Branch, New Covenant)
Hold three words from Jeremiah, not a pile of woes. First, seventy years of captivity: the exile has a term. Daniel and Ezra both take up that calendar — the Lord named the length before the gates fell. Second, a righteous Branch: hope is not a policy; it is a Person from David’s line when the throne looks dead. Third, a New Covenant: the law written on the heart, not only on stone, after the old arrangements have been broken. The New Testament quotes Jeremiah more than once because these last two do not stay in one book. For the pulpit: preach the numbered exile, the Branch, and the new heart. Do not leave the people with only the tears of Lamentations.
Ezekiel 37 dry bones
The valley of dry bones is a prophetic picture of the future restoration of Israel — not a private mysticism and not a funeral. The bones are very dry; the people are finished as far as human strength can tell. Then the word is preached, breath comes, and a vast army stands. Ezekiel has already explained the destruction; chapter 37 is the other half of the sermon: God can raise what He judged. Preach it that way. Restoration is the Lord’s work on a dead nation, not Israel’s self-rescue.
Shekinah departure / temple destruction
Ezekiel writes to explain why God allowed the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. The glory does not slip out by accident. In Ezekiel 8–11 the prophet is shown four idolatries in the house, including 25 men with their backs to the sanctuary, worshiping the sun. The Shekinah departs because the Temple is already defiled. Babylon is the tool; the cause is false worship. For the pulpit: if the glory leaves, ask what was already being bowed to. The rubble is the sentence; the sun-worshipers are the reason.