I have chosen this topic as it may assist us in attempting to understand what appears to be a collective hatred, or at least dislike, of the Jewish race. I have used a derivation of the word ‘hate’ (the word ‘heat’ being an anagram), because this race of human beings (just like you and I) certainly raise, at the least heated debate, and at worst heated violence.

This race of people has been subjected to persecution, and worse, by many nations throughout history. Why is this the case, and why, in our so-called enlightened age is it still continuing?

Why is this one tribe of Israel – for the modern nation now called Israel is actually Judah – still being singled out for such collective persecution?

Exodus 4: 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my firstborn:

The Exodus

From the time of this people’s exodus from Egypt, along with their brothers, the Biblical narrative of their past history has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.

According to Biblical history, these people were chosen, by their Creator, to be an example to other nations, to other human beings just like themselves. They do not appear to have been chosen because they exhibited superior intellect, or were in any other way different from other races living on the earth at that time. They had been, however, an enslaved race for a number of generations.

Their future way of life was to be the way their Creator desires human beings to live. However, they were not forced to adhere to the ‘Standards and Values’ their Creator deems correct – they were given free choice. These people agreed to their Creator’s terms, but unfortunately, as the biblical narrative reveals, they soon began rebelling against the standards and values they had agreed to observe and live by. So much did they rebel that their Creator almost decided to destroy them.

Exodus 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

 The word ‘Lord’ in the above verse is a translation of the Hebrew word Yĕhovah.                                The name of God, which according to Jewish tradition should not be spoken.

 Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

 Now there is an eye-opener; it would appear that the Lord is also capable of evil thoughts?

Again, in the book of Jonah we find that God has also ‘repented of the evil’ that He had thought to do against the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh:

 Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did [it] not.

 The word ’God’ in the above verse is a translation of the Hebrew word ‘elohiym’, the pluralized form of the word El. Something to think about perhaps.

 Interestingly, the English word ‘evil’ is translated from the original Hebrew word RA

 Evil – Strong’s H7451 – ra`- evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity

 One cannot help but notice the coincidence (are there coincidental occurrences, or are they just effects without known causes?)

Ra, alternatively spelled Re, is claimed to be the ancient Egyptian sun-god. By the Fifth Dynasty, according to current ‘experts’, he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it is thought that if not a word for ‘sun’ it may be a variant of or linked to words meaning ‘creative power’ and ‘creator’.

The historians of our day claim this being was a ‘sun god’ – light bringer. Are they correct in their claims?

Egypt – The Hebrew word is -Mitsrayim –  from Mizraim, son of Ham.

There is much mystery attached to ancient Egypt, and much of the current, generally accepted, knowledge of this ancient land and its people is, to my way of thinking, false.

I do not want to delve into these mysteries here, as it will lead us off down another path.

 Egypt – Symbol of Sin?

Suffice to say that in biblical terms, this ancient nation was symbolic of sin, and no greater symbol of this is given in the Scriptures than the drowning (burying) of Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea while giving chase to the children of Israel during the exodus; not unlike the burying of past sin symbolized by baptism and total immersion in water – burying of past sin.

Incidentally, we commented on the baptism of babies and children in Part 2, and the view taken by this author was that it is meaningless to baptize a young baby or child due to the nature of what baptism actually symbolizes. There is a verse of Scripture that tends to support this viewpoint – Gen. 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart [is] evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Baptism

It would appear, from the above verse, that prior to man reaching a ‘youthful age’ (a stage when independent thought and reasoning are suitably developed) the Lord does not account a young persons thoughts and deeds to be classified as sinful or evil, even though they may well be classified as such according to the Law of God. In other words, a child has not reached a stage of personal development of the mind (heart) that allows, or is deemed to allow, him/her to make rational and free choices from the information available to them.

That is a personal and speculative point of view.

Before we leave Egypt we should perhaps dwell a moment on the importance of this ancient nation in the Scriptures. Especially Old Testament Scripture devotes a good deal of space to this nation. Many of the major characters mentioned in the Scriptures eventually seek sanctuary there – from Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Joseph, the Hebrew tribes, and even in NT times Jesus Christ Himself during His formative years in exile.

It is a little bit of a paradox that the very nation that is equated with sin is the very one that attracts so many Biblical characters. What was the attraction?

They clearly possessed knowledge of the unseen, as Moses run-in with Egypt’s so-called magicians and sorcerers reveals in Exodus Chpt.7.

Well, there can be little doubt that ancient Egypt possessed knowledge of a much higher order than that they are given credit for by the modern-day ‘learned’ in this field of research. Their technical and scientific knowledge was highly advanced, even by today’s standards. Many of the buildings and artefacts that remain,  glaringly testify to an apparent knowledge and technical skill that the ‘experts’ (Egyptologists) refuse to countenance. That a stone hammer and hardened copper chisel were the main tools used defies logic.

However, we are off track again, so let’s steer ourselves back onto the right one.

The Logos and Judah

According to the Bible, Jesus gave up his Godly status (Logos), and was born, in physical form, into the Jewish community – Why into Judah and not into one of the other tribes (so-called lost tribes) of Israel? He knew where they were, even though they had been removed from their land by the Assyrians around 700 years before Christ’s human birth.

Gen. 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him [shall] the gathering of the people [be].

 The above verse is a reference to the ‘last days’ – see verse 1 same chapter.

The sceptre is a sign of royalty, or leadership and Shiloh has not yet to come to gather His people.

The sceptre also refers to the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.

This lawgiver comes “from between his feet,” which means he is to come from Judah’s descendants.

Jeremiah 33:17-18 “For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel (the sceptre promise); Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man [the lawgiver] before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually (a type of spiritual sacrifices).”

 John 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

 Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

 There is a good deal of work and study involved in understanding the above verses, but as it is not the main point of this posting will leave the interested reader to do further research.

 Lost Tribes

 Matt. 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

 v.6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

 Jesus had the human characteristics (appearance) of any other member of the tribe of Judah through His mother Mary, but nowhere in Scripture will we find a physical description of Him. Yet everywhere one looks images of him abound?

God does nothing without a reason, and His plan for mankind and the hoped for results of that plan were never offered to angels – at least there is no mention of it in the Scriptures.

Attempt to circumvent ‘The Plan’

Satan knows what God’s Plan is, and also Judah’s part in that plan. Remember that this powerful being once stood by the throne of his Creator. Satan knows what the outcome of that plan is to be – Rev. 12:12 Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

This powerful being is determined to undermine the plan of God and turn humanity away from the path of their Creator, just as he did with one-third of his own kind. He would appear to be doing a reasonably good job of it – through deception. The paradox is that God allows it, for a TIME, as the story of Job illustrates very well.

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.

7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

 Continue reading in your own Bible from verse 7.

 So, how does he (Satan) go about deceiving and misleading us humans into believing his version of LIFE is the right one?

 LIFE is a FILE (another anagram). What if all that we are (physical appearance), do and say and think, and all that others do, think and say about us, are stored away and will be used as a blueprint when the time is right – Now there is a thought!!

Eccl. 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God (Elohiym) who gave it.

 We have not come as far as I had planned in this part; we have digressed somewhat from the straight and narrow path. However, we may find it useful in continuation.

Deception comes in many forms, but the medium of the unseen ‘air’ all around us is one of the major forms that relay that deception – as we will discuss in the next and hopefully final part of this posting. In the meantime, the following scriptural verse may well be a major clue.

Ephesians 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

               <<< Part 1                  <<< Part 2              <<< Part 3                          Part 5  >>>

 A Royal wedding took place this year in the ‘Disunited’ Kingdom. One piece of highly symbolic regalia was missing from the marriage ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

 The following is an incomplete story that may, or may not, encourage the reader to consider and research the importance of the Throne on which Queen Elisabeth II was anointed in the sight of God to rule over His subjects.

It may also encourage a new look at what the Word of God actually reveals, and not what many and varied interpreters of His Word would like us to believe it reveals.

 Jeremiah 33:17 For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;

20 Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

21  [Then] may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

 There are two perpetual covenants mentioned in above named verses. No one has broken God’s covenant of the day or the night so we must agree that God’s covenant with David cannot have been broken either.

1. There will always be someone of the physical lineage of David to sit on Israel’s throne.

The word ‘son’ in verse 21 can also mean children (male/female – Strong’s H1121-‘ben’)

2. There will always be physical descendants of the Levitical priesthood.

As these two covenants are mentioned together then it would appear that David’s throne and the priesthood (God’s own true Church) are irrevocably linked in some form.

The English KJV says ”upon the throne of the house of Israel”. The word house is translated from the Hebrew – Strong’s #H1004 bayith  

a) house, dwelling habitation

b) shelter or abode of animals

c) human bodies (fig.)

d) of Sheol

e) of abode of light and darkness

f) of land of Ephraim

 As no one has broken God’s Covenant of the day or the night, then we must accept that the two above named covenants are still valid.

There is no throne to be found in modern day Israel (Judah), and the Jewish religious community in modern day Israel certainly do not teach the New Testament (NT) Gospel of Jesus Christ. Once the NT era was established and the Holy Spirit became generally available to those chosen by God to receive it; then although salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22) i.e. through Jesus Christ – it is not necessary to be a physical Jew to inherit this gift but it is necessary to become a ”Spiritual Jew” – Rom. 2:29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

If we take a look at Isaiah 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

This verse is talking about Eliakim, who was given a special mission by God - v.21

Sustaining the ‘government of God’ on his shoulders – figuratively speaking.

This ‘Key of David’ is essential to open the door to revealed knowledge – A key that many church ministers neglect to even mention.

The key to revealing this throne’s whereabouts is of paramount importance to us all because:           Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

 Jesus did not receive this throne while he was here in physical form – born a Jew and a physical descendant of David – although He did qualify to sit upon it – but His kingdom is not of this present world – John. 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

Referring back to Isaiah 22.22 – Is there some clue in the wording that could lead us towards God’s Church today and also the whereabouts of David’s throne?

Revelation – is an end time Book, and if we take a look at Chpt.3:7, we read an almost identical wording to that of Isaiah:  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

 In the Book of Revelation, the seven early NT churches in Asia Minor are all mentioned along with a brief description of their spiritual quality. As they are mentioned in the last book of the Bible, then is it possible that they also refer to the TYPES of churches that are to be found in ”the last days”?

In the NT, the word synagogue from the Greek ‘sunagoge’ -  ‘an assembling together of men, an assembly of men‘. It does not specifically denote a Jewish synagogue; it can also mean congregation or assembly. As with many Hebrew and Greek words, their meaning has to be found through the context of the verse or passage of Scripture being studied.

What is the synagogue of Satan – 2 Corinth. 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light; 15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works..

 v.13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

Satan has his own ministries and his own ministers who proclaim that they are apostles of Christ. They do not teach the Gospel of Christ though, usually their gospel is about the person of Christ – of whom we really know very little – It is the WORD of Christ that should be taught and not the person. Christ Himself said that He did not speak His own words but those of the Father.

Satan will do anything to prevent the true Gospel message and PLAN of God the Father, through His Son Jesus Christ, being preached to the world. The Key of David opens a door to revelation that most people reject because it is based on THE LAW OF GOD – and not the law of man.

Human nature, of itself, will reason its way around the Laws of God.

John 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

 To be able to judge one requires a set of laws.

”they which see, might be made blind”. – Judicially incapable of apprehending and receiving the truth, to which they have wilfully shut their eyes. (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)

 This does not mean that the many people who adhere to the teachings of the false apostles and false churches are evil or in any way inferior – many of them certainly truly believe what they have been taught. Many of these people have not taken the opportunity of reading, and studying, God’s Word for themselves – they are quite happy to believe their religious instructors interpretation of the Scriptures!

See Rev.12:9. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

This may also be one reason why the Word of God tells us that: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come – Matt.24:14

The true Gospel is not to be preached in an effort to educate or ‘save’ everyone now, or in the past, but as a witness that every Word of God is fast and true. People will realize in the coming future that they have been deceived.

ZADOK THE PRIEST

 Zadok the Priest  is a coronation anthem composed by George Frideric Handel using texts from the King James Bible. It is one of the four Coronation Anthems that Handel composed for the Coronation of George II of Great Britain in 1727, and has been sung at every subsequent British coronation service. It is traditionally performed during the sovereign’s anointing.

This anthem was also played when Mary Elizabeth Donaldson (Scots descent)walked down the aisle to her wedding with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (Danmark) on14 May 2004.

David sinned gravely while on this throne, and twice attempts were made to unseat him from it. Only his heartfelt repentance toward God saved him. Throughout his regn Zadok faithfully served David because he knew that it was not the person who sat on the throne that was most important but what the throne symbolized – Luke 1:22

The following text is taken from the biblical account of the anointing of Solomon:

1 Kings 1:38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.

v.39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.

v.40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

Text of Coronation Anthem (Zadok the Priest):

Zadok, the Priest, and Nathan, the Prophet, anointed Solomon King;
and all the people rejoic’d, and said:
God save the King, long live the King, may the King live for ever!
Amen! Alleluja!

Retrieved from http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Zadok_the_Priest_(George_Frideric_Handel)

A little more on this here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zadok_the_Priest

Brief details of Coronation service of British Royalty

On the night before the coronation the Regalia is brought from the Tower of London to the Abbey and kept overnight in the Jerusalem Chamber.

In the first part of the service the Sovereign processes from the west end of the Abbey through the nave and choir to the Theatre. During this verses from Psalm 122 are sung:

v.1.  [[A Song of degrees of David.]] I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.                                                                                                                           

v.2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

v.3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

v.4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.

v.5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

v.6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee…

The Sovereign takes an oath, swearing to govern faithfully with justice and mercy, to uphold the Gospel, and to maintain the doctrine and worship of the Church of England. In 1953, for the first time, this part of the ceremony ended with the presentation of a Bible, ‘To keep your Majesty ever mindful of the Law and Gospel of God as the rule for the whole life and government of Christian princes’. (The Anglican Church would appear to be straying far from the Word of God in the present)

Those of you who keep keep yourselves informed on current events, will be aware that both the Anglican Church and the Royal Family – Not to mention the UK as a whole – are confronted with many problems. The Word of God relating to future prophetic events, that were written down in the past, are now beginning to reveal themselves to us in the present.

In the second part, the Communion service proceeds. After the Creed the choir sings Veni, Creator Spiritus, the ancient hymn invoking the Holy Spirit. (Catholic in origin, which gives room for doubt, one rendition can be found here: http://www.domesticchurch.com/CONTENT.DCC/19980301/ARTICLES/CREATOR.HTM)

Four Knights of the Garter hold a canopy over the Chair and, concealed from view, the Archbishop anoints the Sovereign with holy oil on the hands, the breast and the head.        This is the most solemn part of the coronation service, for by anointing the monarch is set apart or consecrated for the duties of a Sovereign. Meanwhile the choir sings the anthem Zadok the Priest, the words of which (from the first Book of Kings) have been sung at every coronation since King Edgar’s in 973. Since the coronation of George II in 1727 the setting by Handel has always been used.

In the third part Some items, such as the Orb, are presented symbolically and then returned to the altar, but the Sovereign retains the Sceptre (symbolising kingly power) in one hand and the Rod with the Dove (symbolising justice and mercy) in the other.

In the fourth part the newly-crowned Sovereign leaves the Coronation Chair and moves to the Throne in the main part of the Theatre between the sacrarium and the quire. Now visible to all and supported by the Archbishop and the great Officers of State, the Sovereign is placed in the Throne and at that moment takes possession of the kingdom. The Sovereign now receives the homage of the people, performed first by the Lords Spiritual (the bishops) and then the Lords Temporal.

More info: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/royals/coronations/guide-to-the-coronation-service

Jacob’s ‘Pillow stone’ or ‘Pillar Stone’

One important point that I have not mentioned here is the ‘Stone of Destiny’ – variously called ‘Jacob’s Pillow Stone’ or ‘Pillar Stone’. The Coronation chair was built around it in 1300-1. It was stolen, supposedly by Scottish Nationals, in 1950 but found in 1951 and placed back in the chair in 1952. That the stone has now been removed to Edinburgh castle may well have prophetic consequences?

House of Israel and House of Judah

I have mentioned in other postings that it is vitally important to distinguish between ‘the house of Israel’ and the ‘house of Judah’ when studying the Scriptures – especially when studying prophecy, otherwise much of prophecy does not make any sense.

Heb. 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

The above clearly distinguishes between the two houses in reference to the new pact to be made with both houses on Christ’s return (the days come).

People often become thoroughly confused and assume it is only the Jews (Judah) that are being referred to in many passages of Scripture when it is in fact Israel (lost sheep).

We must however, be careful because in some Scriptural passages ‘house of Israel’ can refer to God’s Church. The context of a passage in which the phrase appears must be ascertained.

Here is important verse about ‘in those days’ – Jeremiah 3:18 in those days, the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

 Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Almost the same, word for word as in Heb.8:8

 Perhaps, some of the most important verses that help us along the way are the following:

Genesis 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid [it] upon Ephraim’s head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.

 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,

 16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

 17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.

 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this [is] the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

 19 And his father refused, and said, I know [it], my son, I know [it]: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Ephraim and Manasseh were already ’children of Israel’ (descendants of Jacob) through Joseph. Jacob (Israel) blessed all of his sons but only the two sons of Joseph were blessed and specifically given the name ISRAEL. The descendants of these two sons were to ‘grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth’.

The final words of verse 16, ‘in the midst of the earth’, – in other words they were to be globally represented – Manasseh, a large nation, and Ephraim, many nations.

Jeremiah and the Throne

David’s throne and ‘Israel’ appear to be connected through the prophet Jeremiah

 Jeremiah 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

 Jeremiah was a very special prophet to God – Jeremiah 1:5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

His mission – to root out the evil that filled Judah (Jeremiah. 44:19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?) and to pull down the ruler of Judah as Zedekiah would not repent.

The city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians; however, the most important part of Jeremiah’s mission was to BUILD and to PLANT – but what was he to plant?

After Jeremiah’s release from the captivity of the Babylonians (the first part of Jeremiah’s mission had already been accomplished) he journeyed to Mizpah – Jerusalem was in ruins)

The second and last part of his mission now needed to be performed.

Why go to Mizpah? –  Jeremiah. 41:10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that [were] in Mizpah, [even] the king’s daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.

 Jeremiah. 43:6 [Even] men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.

 The Royal lineage does not appear to have ended with Zedekiah

There is so much more that could be written on this topic but as this has turned out far lengthier than originally planned will finish here for the time being.

John