But now, on to his son - a rotten king - the worst... and then we finish off  the kings of Judah as they finally crash!
(Israel is already been done in by Assyria!)

Then we will go back and read the Prophets who were big in these times.

• Isaiah was God's prophet during Judah's kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and Manasseh. (tradition says Manassah put Isaiah in a hollow log and sawed him 'asunder.')
• Jeremiah was God's prophet from Manasseh to the end with Zedekiah.

• Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign - II Kings 21:1; II Chronicles 33:1
• Longest reign - 55 years.
• Hephzibah was his mother (Hephzibah House - named after a mother with such a rotten son?)

• II Kings 21:2-9
• rebuilt all the idols his dad (Hezekiah) had destroyed!
• re-established Baal worship
• passed his own son through the fire
• observed times
• used enchantments
• dealt with familiar spirits and wizards
• filled Jerusalem's streets with blood - II Kings 21:16
• seduced Israel & Judah to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Israel. II Kings 21:9; II Chronicles 33:9

Results of his wickedness from God:
II Kings 21:10-16

He died in II Kings 21:17,18

However...

• when Manasseh was 'afflicted,' (II Chronicles 33:11,12) he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his father...  II Chronicles 33:11-16

Next...

• 22 years old when he began to reign
• Wicked
• Followed in his daddy's footsteps!
• BUT not in any humbling aspect.  He just trespassed more and more!  II Kings 21:23
• Servants killed him - and then the people killed the servants  II Kings 21:25

• Began to reign at 8 years old.
• Great king with a great heart! II Kings 23:25
• did right - did not veer off from wanting to please God - II Kings 22:2
• read this kings story to your kids... great opportunity to learn from Josiah as an ensample!
• When he was 16, he began to seek God - II Chronicles 34:3a
• When he was 20, he began the reforms - II Chronicles 34:3b
• When he was 26, he put the "Book of the Law" to his reforms. II Kings 22:8, 11-13; II Kings 23:1-28; II Chronicles 34:8,14-16, 18-21, 23-28, 30-31
• repair the house of the LORD
• no more burning of children - II Kings 23:10
• brake in pieces the images
• cut down the groves and filled their places with the bones of men
• took away the horses that had been given to the sun
• turned the altars to dust and cast the powder upon the graves of the children of the people
• broke down the houses of the sodomites
• put down the idolatrous priests
• took out all the vessels to Baal
• found the grave of the man of God from Judah (II Kings 23:17,18) - told them to leave the grave alone!
• killed those that worked with familiar spirits, wizards, images and idols and abominations.
• gathered the musicians together again (II Chronicles 35:5)
• that was Josiah's desire - to show them God's words of the law - II Kings 23:24
• that was a result of Jeremiah's ministry - to show them God's WORDS! Jeremiah 24

• They already had 57 lousy long years of wicked kinging - that stuff tends to 'stick!' (bad habits are hard to break!)

• The end is approaching! Galatians 6:7 - Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
• Payment must be made!

• 23 years old when he began to reign
• reigned 3 months
• Pharaoh captured him - died in Egypt
• Pharaoh condemned the land

• 25 years old when he began his reign
• Made king by king of Egypt 36:4
• Did evil!
• King of Egypt too him and the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon.

• began his reign at 18 years old
• reigned 3 months & 10 days
• taken to Babylon - II Kings 24:10-16
• became a traitor - let out of prison eventually by Evil-merodach, King of Babylon.
• He was given a throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon - II Kings 25:27-30

• yes, but Zedekiah was not put on the throne by God, but by Nebuchadnezzar! II Kings 25:17

• 21 years old when he began his reign
• Did evil!  II Kings 24:19
• Eventually tried to fight against Nebuchadnezzar (II Chronicles 36:13) - but wouldn't turn to God!
• Fought the Lords way - II Chronicles 36:14-21
• Had his eyes poked out and died in prison chains.  II Kings 25:7

• Next week - let's "go ahead" in the Bible to "go back" and see the 'ministry' of Isaiah and Jeremiah as they preached during the times of these king's reigns!
• Nobody then can say that their 'man of God' didn't warn them!