shows a segment to comprise a group of chapters, or part of a chapter.) What are your rst impressions after making this survey? Did you notice any important key words or phrases? If not, be on the lookout for these as you proceed with your survey The identi cation of key words and phrases in a book is often the best clue to the theme of the book Did you notice any turning point in the book? Any climax? Compare the beginning and ending of the book Study carefully the survey Chart 52 Recall from your earlier studies that Kings is a continuation of the story of Kings The two main divisions of the book are marked by a heavy line between chapters 17 and 18, the rst division being “The Divided Kingdom,” chapters 1-17; and the second division being “The Surviving Kingdom,” chapters 18-25 (Scan the Bible text to observe that up to the end of chapter 17 both the kingdoms of Israel and of Judah are under consideration, as they have been since Kings 12 Beginning at chapter 18, only the closing years of Judah are reported.) As the chart shows, the book of Kings covers a period of about 265 years The rst division, chapters 1-17, covers about 130 years, while the second division, chapters 18-25, covers about 135 years 10 Observe which chapters record the two critical events of the judgments of Israel and Judah What are those judgments? Read the two passages carefully 11 Note which chapters are devoted to the ministry of Elisha Observe also that the last of Elijah’s ministry is the subject of the opening chapter of the book 12 The large proportion of space devoted to the ministries of Elijah and Elisha suggests the importance of these men during this era of God’s people The time period covered by Kings has been called the great prophetic period Refer to the “Chart of Kings and Prophets” (Chart 45) and identify the various prophets who served between the dates 850 and 586 B.C 13 Note from the survey chart the arrangement of Kings’ record of the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah 14 The title given to Kings is “Kingdoms Taken Captive.” Compare this with the title of Kings 15 Read the epilogue (25:27-30) Refer to Chart 48 and note that the events of this epilogue happened some years later than the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) 16 Since Kings completes the narrative begun in Kings, it will be of interest to compare the beginning of Kings with the end of Kings (not considering the epilogue) Recalling your survey of Kings, observe such contrasts as these: a) First Kings begins with a kingdom established in glory; Kings ends with a kingdom dissolved in shame b) First Kings begins with bright prospects for obedience; Kings ends with tragic judgments for disobedience c) First Kings begins with the dazzling splendor of the Temple; Kings ends with the smoke and flames of the Temple in ruins IX PROMINENT SUBJECTS OF KINGS A ELISHA The prophet Elisha is the key person of Kings, even as Elijah is the central gure of ... that the last of Elijah’s ministry is the subject of the opening chapter of the book 12 The large proportion of space devoted to the ministries of Elijah and Elisha suggests the importance of these... prophets who served between the dates 850 and 586 B.C 13 Note from the survey chart the arrangement of Kings’ record of the reign of the kings of Israel and Judah 14 The title given to Kings is... begins with the dazzling splendor of the Temple; Kings ends with the smoke and flames of the Temple in ruins IX PROMINENT SUBJECTS OF KINGS A ELISHA The prophet Elisha is the key person of Kings,