Reflections on the Causes of the Disastrous Moral and Political Decline of the Kingdom of Judah, Leading to their Conquest by the Babylonians

ABSTRACT: This article addresses the causes of the moral and political decline of the Kingdom of Judah, which led to its conquest by the Babylonians in 586 BC. Speaking of the history of the kingdom of Judah in the last days of its existence, the last four kings were very wicked, totally against their father, King Josiah. They did not respect the word of the Lord at all, nor the word of the prophet Jeremiah, without having a vision of their time, going against the current of the time, which led things to a national disaster. Thus in 586 BC, Jerusalem was conquered, the temple was burned and completely destroyed and the people taken into slavery, so for 70 years Jerusalem was a ruin. No one believed it could ever be rebuilt. In the last 20 years of the Kingdom of Judah's existence lived and worked the great prophet Jeremiah, who understood that Babylonian suzerainty was a thing ordained by God, counselling the king and the people to understand this. Unfortunately the prophet's messages were not heeded, and in the end, things went according to the predictions of the prophet Jeremiah. KEYWORDS: Kingdom of Judah, causes, moral decay, political decay, disaster, conquest, captivity, Babylonian