After twenty-three years of prophecy during which Yirmiyahu and his fellow prophets warned about the impending calamity, the geopolitical situation becomes clarified: The "enemy from the north"(about whom Yirmiyahu had warned over the years of his prophecy) takes on concrete form in the figure of Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylonia. Nevukhadnetzar functions as God's agent, and will come and punish the people for their refusal to hear God's words during those years.
Additionally, Yirmiyahu provides a long list of nations and kings who will fall into the hands of Nevuchadnetzar, and he thus highlights the global revolution that will take place in the wake of his conquests. After seventy years, though, Babylonia too will be destroyed.
Abridged and adapted by HaTanakh.com Staff. For further reading, see the full article.