Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days

Understanding that there were 2 Assyrian invasions in Hezekiah's time resolves a number of difficulties. The 1st invasion was in his 14th year (712 BC) a few months after his dramatic healing and sign in the heavens (2Kings 18:13-16), which signified God was rewinding his clock, so he could have another 15 years, which started after an interval of 2 days. His first 15 years ended with him in unbelief, but God was giving him a 2nd chance. He started this rerun of 15 years in unbelief as shown by his submission to Assyria in the 1st invasion, rather than trusting in God. However, before the end of the final 15 years he repented and trusted God, so when Assyria invaded a 2nd time in 701 BC (2Kings 18:17-35), this time he didn't submit to the enemy, but trusted in God, calling upon Him for deliverance, and He delivered Jerusalem by the Angel of the Lord.

In Isaiah 22, which is set after the 1st Invasion, God rebukes Israel for her unbelief and warns them that judgment was still looming, even though Assyria had left them for now. Isaiah predicts that Shebna will be replaced by Eliakim as Hezekiah's chief of staff (holding the Key of David), which explains why we see Eliakim in that top position during the 2nd invasion, with Shebna under him (2Kings 18:18,26,37).

*King Hezekiah is a type of Israel.

*Just as Hezekiah's first 15 years ended with him in unbelief, so the 70th Week (AD 26-33) ended with Israel in unbelief.

*Just as God rewound Hezekiah's clock, so that his 15 years could run again after an interval of 2 days, so God rewound Israel's clock, so that the 7 years of her 70th Week could run again after an interval of 2 DAYS (2000 years).

*Just as the rerun of Hezekiah's 15 years started with him still in unbelief, as shown by his submission to Assyria at the first invasion, so the rerun of Israel's 70th Week will start with her still in unbelief, as shown by her submission to the antichrist, by making a covenant with him (Daniel 9:27).

*Just as Hezekiah increasingly turned back to God during his 15-year rerun, so that when Assyria invaded a 2nd time, near its end, he was now in faith, calling on God to deliver Israel from the enemy, so Israel will increasingly turn back to God during the Tribulation (the rerun of the 70th Week), so that when antichrist invades her at Armageddon, near its end, she will be in faith, and will call upon the Lord to deliver her from her enemies.

*Just as Christ (the Angel of the Lord) saved Israel from Assyria by destroying her army, in response to Hezekiah's prayer of faith, so Christ will return and save Israel from the antichrist by destroying him and his armies at His 2nd Coming, in response to Israel's prayer of faith.

When God healed Hezekiah and rewound his clock, giving him another 15 years, He also did a corresponding miraculous sign, by rewinding the clock in the sky (the sun went back 10 hours to the start of the day). Such an awesome sign must mean that there is also a greater prophetic significance to these events. Hezekiah, being king of Israel, is a type of Israel, so we would expect that what God did for Hezekiah provides a prophetic picture of what God has done and will do for Israel. God is the God of the 2nd chance!

Indeed, when Israel came to the end of Daniel's 70 Weeks (458 BC - 33 AD) in unbelief, unable to possess the Messianic Kingdom, God rewound her clock by 7 years, in order for those 7 years to run again as the Tribulation (after the Church-Age), by the end of which she will repent and be saved, and receive Christ as her King, enabling Him to establish His Kingdom on earth, in fulfilment of His covenant promises to Israel.

2 DAYS after God rewound Hezekiah's clock, he appeared before the Presence of God in the Temple, which marked the start of his second '15 years' of reign. Likewise 2 DAYS (2000 years) after God rewound Israel's clock, she will be restored to her place before God as His representative in the earth (now that the Church will have been raptured). Then, Daniel's 70th Week will be rerun, which will end with Israel in faith, and Christ returning in power and glory to deliver her from the armies of antichrist, and to establish His Kingdom on the earth.

There is also a chronological problem in that 2 Kings 18 speaks of an Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah's 14th year, shortly after his miraculous healing (712 BC), whereas Assyrian records point to an invasion of Israel in 701 BC. Many alter the Biblical Chronology to try and make it fit with the Assyrian Chronology, but this distorts the Biblical Chronology. We demonstrate that the Bible records 2 Assyrian invasions by Sennacherib in Hezekiah's time. In the first invasion in 712 BC (2Kings 18:13-16), Hezekiah submitted to Assyria and paid tribute, thus bringing the invasion to an end. In the 2nd invasion (701 BC), Hezekiah did not submit or pay tribute, but instead called upon God in faith, and God saved Israel by sending the Angel of the Lord to destroy the Assyrian army overnight (2 Kings 18:17-35). Understanding that there were 2 Assyrian invasions in Hezekiah's time resolves a number of contradictions, and explains the discrepancy between the Biblical and Assyrian dates.

We start our study of Hezekiah, who began his reign over Judah when his father Ahaz died (no co-regency). He was a righteous king, who received many refugees from Israel, before it fell to Assyria. But in his 14th year, he was sick unto death and childless, so he prayed to God, who promised him through Isaiah that he would be raised up after 2 days and have another 15 years (so far he'd reigned 14 years + his accession year).

When Hezekiah asked for a confirming Sign, God performed one of the most outstanding miracles in the Bible - the sun went back 10 hours in the sky, from it being 6pm (evening) to 8am (morning), signifying God was rewinding his clock, giving him a new day, a fresh start, a 2nd chance, another 15 years (this sign means that all eclipse calculations before 713 BC are unreliable, which has implications for Assyrian chronology).

The next video will reveal the greater prophetic significance of this Sign in the Heavens (as well as Joshua's sign in the sky) for God's Plan of Redemption, for Hezekiah, being a king of Israel, is a type of Israel, so what God did for Hezekiah provides us with a prophetic picture of what God has done and will do for Israel.

Peter Hockley shares his dramatic testimony of salvation and deliverance from demonic powers after being involved with the occult through automatic handwriting. Hear how Jesus set Peter free from a deep demonic deception and possession. Peter's book 'Four nights with the devil' is available on Amazon.

In 745 BC, God promised king Ahaz of Judah that both of his enemies (Syria and Israel) will soon fall, and that he should trust in God, but instead he trusted in Assyria, which opened the door for Judah to come under increasing Assyrian oppression, along with Israel (Isaiah 7:1 - 8:10). But God also promised the House of David that it would not be destroyed by Assyria (as Israel would be), 'because of Immanuel' (Isaiah 7:14, 8:8,10), for the Messiah, son of David, who is 'God with us', had to come forth from the House of David.

When Ahaz called upon Assyria's help, they invaded Syria and Israel. At this point, Hoshea rose up and killed Pekah, and Israel submitted to Assyria. At first, Hoshea ruled Israel as an overseer, with Ahaz appointed king of Israel by the Assyrians. Eventually Tiglath-Pilesar appointed Hoshea as king. When he died, he was replaced by Shalmaneser, who invaded Israel and beseiged her capital city, Samaria, for 3 years, when Hoshea stopped paying tribute. Shalmaneser died during the siege, and was replaced by Sargon. Samaria finally fell in 721 BC, which marked the end of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, so that Hoshea was the last of her kings. This took place when Hezekiah was king of Judah.

After Uzziah sinned, God struck him with leprosy (we explain why his sin was so serious to God), and his son Jotham reigned in his place as king of Judah. Jotham was a good king, but his son Ahaz was evil. In his reign, the kings of Syria and Israel attacked Judah to depose him (2Kings 16:5, Isaiah 7:4-6). This is the background to Isaiah 7 and the famous Immanuel Prophecy, where God promised to protect the House of David 'because of Immanuel' (Isaiah 7:14, 8:10). Isaiah predicted that the 2 kings attacking him would die soon (7:4,15,16), and the fall of the kingdom of Israel (7:7,8 ), and he called Ahaz to trust in God, in order to be established (7:9). But instead, Ahaz responded in unbelief (7:10-13), and turned to Assyria for help (2Kings 16:7). Seeing his stubborn unbelief, God predicted through Isaiah that the result of this would be that Judah would come under increasing Assyrian dominion and oppression (Isaiah 7:17).

We continue our study of the parallel kingdoms of Judah and Israel with the long reign of Uzziah (Azariah) over Judah, which ended when God struck him with leprosy in the Temple. So his son Jotham replaced him as king, while he was still alive. Meanwhile, Jereboam, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah and Pekah reigned over Israel.

The central message of the Bible is the Good News of how we can receive Eternal Life in Heaven as a free gift, even though we are all sinners deserving of Hell. Derek shares how Jesus made it possible for us to be forgiven, and how we can receive salvation by faith. We only have this life to receive God's offer of life, because once we die it will be too late to turn to God.

Our study of the chronology of Judah and Israel continues with the reign of Amaziah over Judah, followed by an Interregnum, before Uzziah became king. Meanwhile, Jehoash reigned over Israel, followed by Jereboam II (the king during the time of Jonah). We prove that with Jehoash and Amaziah, both Israel and Judah moved to the Accession-Year System. After this, neither kingdom changed their System again.

We continue our study of the chronology of the kings of Judah and Israel, by looking at the reigns of Ahaziah, Athaliah and Joash over Judah, and Jehu, Jehoahaz and Jehoash over Israel. Evil queen Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel, represents the only disruption to the reign of the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem.