Solomon s Temple Was Destroyed by Babylonians

The sad story of Babylonian exile and preceding catastrophic events for the Jews (including but not limited to destruction of the First Temple) proves beyond the reasonable doubt that by itself the Ark of the Covenant had (and has) no magical powers whatsoever. Only God does.

It also proves beyond the reasonable doubt that the Jews usually brought catastrophic events on themselves by committing disastrous – almost suicidal – blunders. In fact, their whole Babylonian ordeal was essentially a prequel to a similar “Roma ordeal” of 70 AD (including the destruction of their Temple).

It all started in 601 BC when Jehoiakim, king of Judah (not an especially bright monarch) started a revolt against Babylon – its superior state (Judea at the time was the vassal state of a Neo-Babylonian empire).

He started the revolt ignoring repeated warnings from prophet Jeremiah who again and again called this endeavor genuinely suicidal for both the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

The rebels surprisingly held for four years; however, in 597 BC, the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem, and the city surrendered. Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II pillaged Jerusalem and deported Jeconiah and other prominent citizens to Babylon; Jeconiah’s uncle, Zedekiah, was installed as king.

A decade later, encouraged by the Egyptians, Zedekiah launched a second revolt (not a very smart move). The revolt was predictably (and brutally) crushed by Nebuchadnezzar II. Jerusalem fell after a 30-month siege, following which the Babylonians systematically destroyed the city and Solomon’s Temple. The Kingdom of Judah was dissolved and many of its inhabitants exiled to Babylon.

Contrary to a popular misconception, the exile was not total (not even close). According to the most reliable estimates, the population of Judah before the Babylonian destruction was about 75,000.

Taking the different biblical numbers of exiles at their highest, 20,000, this would mean that perhaps 25% of the population had been deported to Babylon, with the remaining majority staying in Judah.

And they needed religious and spiritual support – so there is little (if any) doubt that the Temple priests continued to perform religious rituals in underground Temple, underground Tabernacle and underground Holy of Holies.

Using the Ark as the key component of “Jewish channel” of Divine Grace.