In Jeremiah, chapter twenty-five, verse eleven, “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Judah would remain in exile for approximately seventy years. The seventy years began in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim, when the first set of exiles were carried off, and continued to the first return of exiles following the decree of Cyrus. God directs the stream of redemption throughout history to its appointed end. In doing so, He sometimes chooses to humble mighty rulers like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel four, or send destructive judgment as with Pharaoh in Exodus fourteen, to fulfill His Word and accomplish His purposes.
However, by God stirring the spirit of Cyrus to be benevolent toward the conquered and exiled peoples, He enabled His word of promise through Jeremiah to be fulfilled on time. Jeremiah had prophesied that restoration would begin for Jerusalem in seventy years. The seventy years were just about up, and still, there was no indication of the promised return and restoration. Daniel was severely troubled in verse two of chapter nine, and expected a literal fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. In general, prophecies should be interpreted literally unless the context shows that a prophecy or vision is symbolic; even then, the symbols represent literal historical realities.
The fixing of the time which the captivity of God’s people should last would not only confirm the prophecy but also comfort the people of God and encourage faith and prayer. The ruin of Babylon is foretold: the rod will be thrown into the fire when the correcting work is done. When the set time to favour Zion comes, Babylon shall be punished for their iniquity, as other nations have been punished for their sins. Scripture certainly will be accomplished.