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The three Hebrews, who also symbolize   to Jeconiah – chosen and a signet, a pre-
        a  preserved  remnant  through  the  fire   cious possession containing the owner's
        (Zec  13:9),  would  not  bow  and  were   authority. God displayed Christ as His
        preserved,  prompting  the  decree  that   precious signet ring of authority through
        no  one  should  speak  against  the  God
        of  Shadrach,  Meshach  and Abednego.     His teaching (Mat 7:29), forgiveness of
          These two aspects are depicted in final   sins (9:6), and the laying down and taking
        form  in  Revelation  17-18,  describing   back of His life (Joh 10:18). Indeed, Christ
        the  demise  of  Babylon’s  ecumenical   prayed to His Father, “You have given
        counterfeit  religious  system  and  its   him authority over all flesh” (17:2 ESV).
        commercial corruption. Here it is evident   Matthew 12:18 draws attention to Isaiah
        that monetary gain, “the love of money,”   42:1 as the Lord’s servant and chosen. Peter
        is indeed “the root of all evil” (1Ti 6:10)   (1Pe 2:4,6) cites Isaiah 28:16, who brings
        and the driving force of Babylon. As four   together that Christ is elect and precious.
        Alleluias  echo  in  heaven  at  Babylon’s
        destruction, the coming King of kings   The  problem  remained  of  how  God
        and Lord of lords is manifested in chapter   would bypass Jeconiah but not renege on
        19 to establish His kingdom and sit on   His covenant with David. God used an-
        the throne of His glory (Mat 25:31). The   other bloodline of David through Nathan,
        Word  of  God  from  the  opening  to  its   even converging at Zerubbabel, before
        final chapters confirms these promises   diverging again to the Lord Jesus’ mother,
        in  Haggai  that  the  Lord  of  hosts  will   Mary. The genealogy of Christ through
        overthrow all opposition to His rule and
        worship.                              Mary given in Luke 3 demonstrates how
        Establishing His King (v23)           God  physically  went  around  Jeconiah
          There was a problem with the Messianic   yet still fulfilled His promises. Ironside
        promise of a king in the line of David. God   writes, “In Luke we evidently have the
        promised David an everlasting throne   line of Mary the daughter of Heli, Joseph’s
        through his seed (2Sa 7:11-16), but his   father-in-law,  through  Nathan,  thus
        descendant Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin (called   preserving the bloodline of David while
        Coniah in Jeremiah 22:22-30), was cursed   avoiding the curse of Coniah.”   Haggai
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        by God. Jeremiah said that he was not   confirms that God can keep seemingly ir-
        the Lord’s servant (“a vessel wherein is no   reconcilable promises to both David and
        pleasure,” v28); he was not His signet ring   Jeconiah in His Son via Zerubbabel. Noth-
        (“though Coniah … were the signet upon
        my right hand, yet would I pluck thee   ing can spoil His program; some blessings
        from thence,” v24); and, he was not His   are unconditional. God’s people would go
        chosen (“no man of his seed shall prosper,   on to finish the work of the temple through
        sitting upon the throne of David,” v30).   the encouragement of Haggai and Zecha-
        It is possible that Zerubbabel, listed as a   riah four years later (Ezr 6:15)
        regal descendant of Jeconiah (Mat 1:11-12),
        allowed this issue to weigh upon him.  4  H.A. Ironside, Notes on the Prophecy and
          The words to Zerubbabel picture the   Lamentations of Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet
        coming Christ as a servant in contrast   (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1928), 107.

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