II Kings

II Kings gives a chronicle of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah up until the fall of Israel to the Assyrian Empire which occurred in 721 BC and until the fall of Judah to the Babylonian Emmpire which occurred in 586 BC.  The northern kingdom ceases to exist after the reign of Pekah as the Assyrians carry the Israelites away.  The northern kingdom does ends without having a single king that follows after the ways of God.  Though there were some kings that tore down some of the altars, the altars of the golden calves always stood and even the best of the kings of Israel can not be described as having done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.  Chapter two of II Kings involves the departure of Elijah as he is literally taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.  Before he goes up, he is asked what he can do for Elisha his successor before he leaves him.  Elisha asks Elijah for a double portion of his spirit.  Eliajh tells him that if he sees him go up in the chariots of fire, then he will indeed receive this.  The portion was not Elijah's to give and thus that is why he instructed Elisha in such manner.  Chariots of fire seperated the two as Elijah departed and Elisha received the double portion.  The chariots of fire are a foreshadow of the power and work of the Holy Spirit which would come upon the lives of Christians in the New Testament and empower them to do a mighty work for God.  Elisha ends up doing fourteen miracles, one of which occurs through a dead man coming in contact with Elijah's bones.  The fourteen miracles of Elijah are twice as many as are recorded in the ministry of Elijah.  While Israel was still standing, one of the hiers to the throne of Judah intermarries with one of the daughters of the kings of the northern kingdom.  This allows room for Baal worship to move into Judah which would be there until the destruction of Judah in 586 BC.  One king of significance in this book is Hezekiah who reigned 25 years over Judah.  There was a time during his reign in which he came into a crisis as his life was on the line.  He pleaded to God for more years of living and God granted his request.  Hezekiah is a great example of Kings of Judah who fully seek after the face of God.  This can only be said of three kings in Judah.  Others would serve God but would not tear down the high places.  They represent those Christians who are lazy and who do not even attempt to bring on an all out revolt against the kingdom of darkness which contians the invisible dark poweers of the supernatural world that is controlled by Satan.  During the reign of Josiah, a copy of Deuteronomy is found in the temple and Josiah realizes that the Israelites have not fully kept the law of God.  Thus, when he becomes aware of this he seeks God's face and then implements even those laws which the Israelites were not aware of.  The book of II Kings ens with the account of the end of the kingdom of Judah as the kingdom falls victim to the Babylonian Captivity in 586 BC during the reign of King Jehoiachin.  Up until the time of captivity, there were several campaigns of the Babylonians.  The campaign of 586 BC bears significance because it involves the destruction of the first temple.