The Aftermath of Desolation - Exile and Symbolic Restoration

The fall of Jerusalem marked the end of David's kingdom even as God's judgment on Jehoiachin severed his royal line. Nevertheless, the Lord had promised a restoration: A remnant of Judah would return to the promised land and Jerusalem and its temple would be rebuilt. These events occurred as promised, and yet the circumstances surrounding them along with the word of Yahweh's prophets showed that this restoration didn't indicate the reviving of David's former kingdom. The recovery of a Judean remnant and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple only served to reinforce the Lord's perpetual promise of true restoration - not the recovery of the Israelite kingdom, but the renewal of all things in association with the coming of the true David.