Book of Jeremiah

Israel Will Be Restored To the Promised Land

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Restoration of Israel

Book of Jeremiah 50, 51

As we have studied the Book of Jeremiah we have also seen that Mystery Babylon represents the enemies of God.

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Babylon represents the worship of Baal in many cases called Baalim which can be said to be the false trinity of the Anti-Christ.

We know that Paul called the Church a mystery because the Church was not known to the Old Testament Patriarchs or the Prophets.

Using this as our example, Mystery Babylon represents all false religions, because only a few of them realize they are worshiping the Anti-Christ!

Christ has the Church as His bride, so the Anti-Christ has Babylon the Great as his bride, who are the followers of all false religion.

Babylon had its beginning in the days of Noah who lived 350 years after the flood.

Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

Gen 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

This is the same place where God called Abraham out of the city of Ur which was in the land of the Chaldees.

God said:

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

So let’s see the words God has given to Jeremiah:

*****Jer 50:1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
Jer 50:2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
Jer 50:3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
Jer 50:4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.

Not many know the joy of leaving a place where they were not really welcome and going back home.

Most military men and women know something about this.

I was truly glad to get back home from the war in Vietnam!

These Jews would be in captivity for 70 years and they did not know what they were going back to because their land had been destroyed but they had learned a very valuable lesson.

They had learned that there is no power in idols nor can anything good come from idol worship. They were going home to seek the Lord their God.

Cyrus and his army would defeat historical Babylon and just as Jeremiah had said by God Himself, Cyrus and Darius who followed him, would allow the Jews to go home.

These Jews would realize that only by the Mercy of God would they be freed from captivity and they would see the truth of the Scriptures in their own life time.

They would weep for their sins and for answered prayer.

The overthrow of Babylon would be the signal they would go home to the land they had left because of sin, just as Jeremiah had prophesied.

Isa 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
Isa 45:20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
Isa 45:21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.

They did say “show me the way to Zion”.

This has been a battle cry of the Jews ever since.

*****Jer 50:5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

Zion to these Jews meant Jerusalem. The Jews have always known that Jerusalem was the city that Jehovah God established as belonging to Him, not some false god and certainly not “Allah” whoever that name represents. The followers of the crescent moon.

God set these people free because they had repented of their sins and returned to worship Him.
God set these people free, so they could return to the Promised Land.
God set these people free, so they could recommit themselves to the everlasting covenant in which a commitment was made to obey all the Word of God.

Some say it was in these days that the Pharisees began to form, before they too became evil in their ways.

Others say this is the time that Judaism took hold of the children of Israel.

It would be the vengeance of the Lord on “Historical Babylon” that would cause these things to happen.

It will be the vengeance of the Lord on “Spiritual Babylon” that will remove this evil from God’s people in the near future!

Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

They had been lost sheep who could not find their way home without the True Shepherd.

*****Jer 50:6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

It had been their own government and false prophets that had caused these things to happen by commands, but also by example. They had gone from one idol to another until they were confused about the truth of God.

They had turned away from the mountain of God and had been led to barren and dangerous regions where they got lost!

Eze 34:15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
Eze 34:16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

We had better understand that even when we have been led astray by false teachers or a corrupt government, we are still responsible for our own salvation.

We are to study the Word of God ourselves, so we will know the truth!

This Scripture proves that these Jews had gone from one idol to another and had offered sacrifices and had seen no results from these false gods. It also proves that they were seeking another God that simply did not exist because there is only One True God and His name is Jehovah!

In reality, nothing in Babylon could compare to the land of Judah when they were in the favor of the Lord!

In fact there is nothing on the face of this earth that will compare to the land of Israel when the Lord sits on the throne of David!

We should be able see this in our own lives. Our lives when we were out in sin cannot compare to our lives now in the will of God!

It would be like comparing a barren place to a fertile green valley.

Jesus said, you must be born again to see the Kingdom of God!

*****Jer 50:7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

When our enemy realizes he cannot stop our salvation then he will try his best to ruin our testimony!

It was certainly the Lord who was punishing these Jews for leaving their first love, but the enemy “made matters worse” by inflicting their own means of punishment.

Even today in many places where the Jews reside, even in America, they are still exposed to the attacks of those who hate them.

Even some who say they are Jews go against the nation of Israel.

What a foolish nation we will become if allow our leaders to go against the nation of Israel!

That word race is used a lot here in America but not when the Christian is attacked and not when the Jews are attacked.

The fact remains that the Lord will deliver His people. He will fulfill all the promises made to the true Jews, but He will also fulfill every promise to the Church which is next on His agenda!

Dan 9:16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Dan 9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.

God would set these Jews free, so they could seek Him in their own homeland and repent of their sins.
God would set His people free to fulfill the everlasting covenant that been made to Abraham and King David.

These are some of the reasons God would make Babylon an everlasting desolation.

*****Jer 51:1 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;
Jer 51:2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

As Christians who study the Scriptures, we can look back in history and see the fulfillment of all these things.

God did stir up the spirit of the destroyer against Babylon and its people.

We know that the wind is one of the most powerful natural sources upon this earth. The hurricanes, the tornadoes can devastate any region at any time.

We also know that God uses the human in most cases and He would stir up the spirit of the Persians to be that destroying wind.

The king of Babylon had taken the people from many nations and they would also rise up at the same time.

Again the Lord would prove to be the Redeemer of the children of Israel.

He will prove this again in the future! We know that the Jews are still a scattered people with almost as many in America as is in Israel.

What is the truth of the destruction of Babylon?

Under Nabonnadus, the last king, B.C. 538, Babylon was taken by Cyrus, after a siege of two years.

In the dead of the night. Having first, by means of its canals, turned the river into the great dry lake west of Babylon, and then marched through the emptied channel, he made his way to the outer walls of the fortified palace on its banks.

He found that the brazen gates had been left open by the royal guards while they were engaged in drunken parties, just like their king, not worried about any enemy breaching the walls of Babylon.

Babylon as an empire ceased to exist.

The walls that were not destroyed by Cyrus were later destroyed by Darius.

Later Xerxes the son of Darius, plundered and destroyed Babylon and left Babylon the wilderness that it is today a place uninhabitable

Why did these things happen?

*****Jer 51:5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
Jer 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense.

God will never utterly forsake His people!

A great man of God wrote: “Even if Jesus Christ could create better believers than He has now, He would never consider doing such a thing”.

If that had been the case, then He would have solved the sin problem when He flooded this world.

There were 8 sinners of the bloodline of Adam that were saved in the ark simply because Noah had found “Grace” in the eyes of the Lord.

The Lord is seeking others He can show His “Grace” to, but this cannot happen unless we believe in and on Him!

To be our Savior the Lord had to first be our Redeemer!

Once we establish a personal relationship with the Lord, we are forever His children and we cannot be forsaken!

As Christians we foolishly do things sometimes that are not pleasing to the Lord, but He promises to not ever forsake us.

We must accept the consequences for the things that we do, but our Father in Heaven will always be our Father!

When God calls us to come out from this world, He certainly means it!

*****Jer 51:20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

Then comes Cyrus.

Isa 45:1 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
Isa 45:2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
Isa 45:3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

It is obvious that the Lord is about to use Cyrus just as He had used Nebuchadnezzar.

No matter what else they did, God had made it a priority for them to take great care of God’s people, these Jews.

God called Cyrus and his army to capture all the other nations that provided their resources to Babylon.

We continue time after time to see that God will use some human to carry out His vengeance.

In the end it will be the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus ascended in His glorified body and not as some spirit.

We can also see that this prophecy extends on into the future.

We know that the 70 years were up, but this is no proof that these Jews had been forgiven but we do know that once they returned to Israel, they no longer worshipped idols.

I believe that these things refer to the coming of the Lord.

We should also remember that Babylon had destroyed the Temple of Solomon and the city of Jerusalem.

These Jews are still in reserve throughout our days so far and there’s coming the day that they will be saved.

There is still only one way for these Jews to be saved and this is by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

They must accept the one that they have rejected all these years and they must do this as a nation.

Pardon means all the sins of the Jews have been forgotten.

When we are thinking right, we can see this prophecy extends to the Lord Jesus Christ when He returns to cleanse this world of sin.

Dan 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Dan 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

With Rome being the kingdom of iron, Jesus Christ was born in the reign of Augustus Caesar. The Kingdom of God cannot be destroyed!

The foundation of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ will be built on a new spiritual and heavenly power that comes into this world for a time when the Lord returns to cause the end of the age of the Gentiles which really began with Adam and Eve.

As we go through these Scriptures let’s just think of the return of Christ to set up His Kingdom for 1000 years.

*****Jer 51:21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
Jer 51:22 With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
Jer 51:23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
Jer 51:24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Rev 18:21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Rev 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

It’s debatable if the Saints of God will actually see the destruction of the Babylon of Sin but we can be sure it will take place when the Lord returns.

The Lord will speak with the Sword of His mouth and destruction will follow.

Psa 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Psa 91:8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Cyrus did indeed conquer Babylon of old and the city was soon destroyed and has never been rebuilt in the location it once stood.

Jer 51:25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
Jer 51:26 And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD.

No empire in the future will ever have Babylon as it’s center!

It will be the “Spirit of Babylon that will be destroyed when the Lord returns, and Israel will be restored and Jerusalem the capitol city of this world!

Amen

Let’s pray!

Israel Would Return From Captivity

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Return from Captivity

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 29

The Christian life is not always an easy life, but we are still to be at peace in our heart and soul, because we know we are on the winning side.

In our own nation we know that it is divided even more than it has ever been.

Down through the centuries the greatest crimes have been in the name of race, and unfounded beliefs, and cultural wars, social status, and we cannot leave out religion.

We live knowing that those in power create these things, so they can continue in the path they have chosen which is not always the best way for the people.

We know that lawlessness is running rampant in most all places and no one seems to care but actually take advantage of these things for political purposes.

These same type things were happening in Judah in the time of Jeremiah, but he was God’s chosen man to spread the Word of God to these people.

The people of Judah were being misled by a group of men who said themselves that they were called of God, but this was not true.

These things have continued, and the Church is taking heavy damage because of false teachers and preachers today.

God has already said what He is going to do, and we had better decide what we are going to do!

Jeremiah wrote a letter according to the Word of God intending to cause encouragement among those that already had been taken to Babylon.

Chapters 29-31 are so full of truth and prophecy that it is a shame we can only cover such a small portion of them.

Let’s read what God had to say.

*****Jer 29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
Jer 29:2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)

The Holy Spirit has caused things to happen so that we can read the same letter Jeremiah wrote to those who were already captive in Babylon.

Daniel, and those three Jewish boys renamed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego among many others had been taken to Babylon when King Jehoiakim was removed by Nebuchadnezzar. Some say there were 10,000 of the best of Judah taken at that time.

Dan 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
Dan 1:2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
Dan 1:3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;
Dan 1:4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Now these others would join them.

We should understand today that no matter where we travel it is encouraging to see a copy of God’s Word. We should understand that the Lord never forgets those He has washed in His own personal blood!

This is the first letter of many that Jeremiah wrote to these captives.

*****Jer 29:3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,

Elasah was the son of Shaphan and the brother of Ahikam who a supporter of Jeremiah was, when he faced the false charge of treason for preaching the Word of God. This was in a section we did not cover.

This Gemariah was probably the son of Hilkiah, the High Priest who was the one who had found the Books of Moses in the Temple that were read to King Josiah.

It appears that these two were good men and could be trusted by both sides and they carried with them the letter of Jeremiah written to those in captivity.

We already know that Nebuchadnezzar had a lot of respect for the Prophet Jeremiah.

Many of these in captivity would now listen to the words of Jeremiah because they were witness to the fact that what Jeremiah had said had come to be true.

The encouragement that Jeremiah gave to them were the actual Words of God!

*****Jer 29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;

Have you noticed that God does not hide the things He does, even when we may not like what He says. He will always tell us the truth!

We must understand that no matter where we are and no matter what the circumstances, God wants us to make an impact on those we are near.

The false prophets were teaching that they would soon be back home, which was not true. The words of God to Jeremiah was that their captivity would be 70 years.

They in turn were to make homes for themselves and settle into the communities where they were located.

They had lost everything they had in Judah but there never comes a time that God’s people should not be content and do the very best they can.

Nebuchadnezzar had taken the best of Judah to be an influence on his empire because he knew the will of God’s people are strong

He knew that God would take care of His people.

He, Nebuchadnezzar knew he could still profit because of these reasons!

Evil men are sometimes wiser in the ways of God than the true believer!

God had caused His people to go into exile and Nebuchadnezzar was only the agent God used to do this thing. Nebuchadnezzar understood this to be true.

Our world is so messed up today and foolish to cause harm to God’s people.

If the world would just allow God’s people to live in peace, the world would reap many benefits just because God’s takes care of His children.

This letter was also going to the political power of Babylon and the Lord made sure they knew that this letter was from the Lord of all the Angelic Host, the God of all power and not only that but the God of Israel, the Almighty God!

Jer 24:5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
Jer 24:6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

God’s message does not ever change!

What was God’s message on this day?

*****Jer 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

Nebuchadnezzar had taken some of the best of God’s people. They knew how to build houses. Their land was destroyed but the land of Babylon was fertile, and they could grow their food according to food laws of Moses and not depend on trying to find such food in Babylon.

God’s people were more vegetarian than they were big meat eaters as we should be today.

They knew how to sustain themselves in the things that the Lord would provide, the Sun and the Rain and the necessities of life along with the Bread of Life, the Word of God, not much else is really needed.

1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Jer 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
Jer 31:11 For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Jer 31:14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.
Jer 31:22 How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.
Jer 31:35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
Jer 31:36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
Jer 31:37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

We need to understand that wherever God has placed us, is our mission field.

We need to settle in and get to work. If the LORD opens another door, He will make us aware of it!

God celebrates the return from captivity of every one of His children!

Luk_15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Those who need no repentance are those who have made themselves righteous in their own eyes.

When we know that the Lord is keeping His eyes upon us for our good then we need to be a peace and do the work God has called us to do!

*****Jer 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.

This did not mean for these Jews to take husbands and wives from the people of this foreign land but from the Jews that were among them. We already know that there were more than 10,000 of them taken to Babylon and others would be brought later.

Gen 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
Gen 24:4 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

Today each Christian is to be a fisher-of-men, so our numbers are never to decrease as they are today in many locations but only God can save, and these are the decisions that He makes.

Our job never changes. We are to do the best we can to tell all others about the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was important for these captives to increase for they were indeed the good figs!

They were to settle down. For those who listened it would be near 70 years before the Lord would send them back home.

They would not have to worry about what the government of Babylon would do to them. They were in the hand of God while they were surrounded by their enemy. In fact they would find that many from other nations had also been taken from their homes and they would not have Jehovah to protect them.

They would see many more who worshipped idols and their god could not save them.

Jehovah had saved these Jews by placing them in captivity! They had been saved from themselves!

Eze 28:26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

What was God’s law for us all?

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

They had to understand that there is a reason for everything that the Lord does, and it is always for the betterment of His people. If we do not understand this then we need to understand one most important thing.

The Lord is God and He does what He wants to do, whenever He wants to do it!

We are never to question the ways of our Creator and our Master?

What else were they to do?

*****Jer 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

The truth is, the Lord expects those who are Christian to be the best citizens in any place we are located! Remember the Lord relocated the “Good Figs” of Judah for their safety

The true honor of a nation is dependent on the character of its people and as Christians we are to be like Christ with the character of God Himself or as close as we can get to it here on this earth!

This is where we fail the most. We forget the sinless, loving character of our Savior!

They needed to accept that this letter from Jeremiah was the actual Word of God because it was, and they needed to study it and completely obey these words!

We sometimes forget that the Lord is the answer to every question that we have!

It is the Lord alone who can change who we are and what other people see in us!

How powerful is our prayer for each other? We must stand in the breach for each other!

Psa 106:23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

Our sermon from our Pastor a few weeks ago, was about how great a sin it is to not stand in the gap for each other.

1Sa 12:23 Moreover as for me, “God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you”: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
1Sa 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

It should be obvious that according to the truth of God, we sin against the Lord when we do not pray for one another and this does not mean we pray once and be done!

When we have the peace of God in our hearts, we can have peace where ever we are located.

None of these commandments change when we get to the New Testament!

1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

We must understand that when we become Christians and even though our home is then in Heaven and we are just visitors passing through this earth, we are also still a member of the civil society.

We are to come out from them and be separate, but we will have to deal with those who reject the Word of God most every day and the Lord says we are to act like Christians and have the peace of God which will be a welcome sight in many places of unrest.

We are to spread this peace of God to as many as we can, and the very best way is to be like Jesus Christ.

This is what the title Christian means, to be Christlike!

We are always to show an interest in the peace of our nation and be a part of that peace. This does not ever mean we will not take a stand of the truth of God because we are to do this no matter what!

We must realize there will even be those in our own group who will stir up trouble anywhere they are located, and we should never listen to anyone who goes against the Word of God.

*****Jer 29:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

We must remember these people, many of them from the royal family had lost everything they had.

They had been removed from their homes with just the clothes upon their back.

There were many more people from the many different nations Babylon had conquered.

If God’s people joined in the grumbling for being in such a position it would not help matters at all.

If they listened to the false prophets of their own nation instead of the Word of God given to Jeremiah, which had already proven to be true, they would be miserable in their new surroundings.

If they showed that they had settled into their surroundings, it would make their lives at least passable until they would go home again to their homeland.

It is always easy to dream about the good old times when we are going through bad times, but the God of the mountain is still God in the valley!

As Christians we have nothing to fear in this world no matter our circumstances. The worst thing that could happen, which is our death, is really the best thing that can happen.

Jesus would not be allowed in many Churches today because He always told the truth. The truth based on the Word of God.

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Jesus said these words when He was asked about His return.

We know that according to the words of Jesus the very first sign of His return is the rise in false prophets and false teaching!

Anyone that says this is not true today need to read and study the Word of God, so they will not get confused.

We should also understand that one purpose of the 70 years was for most of these false teachers to die off.

*****Jer 29:9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

We should never mistake the intentions of the Lord. He does not desire that any human being die before they have had a chance to repent. God does not think of evil for anyone of His creations.

There will be many who will repent but there will also be many who will cross God’s “Red Line” the first one being Lucifer, Satan, and the angels who followed him.

We must think of the Lord more as the “father of the prodigal son” than any other thing.

To those who repent, the Lord will rush to them with the best robe and He will kill the fatted cafe and sup with them.

God’s every intention is to give all His children ever lasting peace!

We must also know that God will not call a stranger to teach you the truth of God.

The very first test for the man of God is “does he believe that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah, God in the flesh”!

Without this faith we will not ever please our God!

The test in this day of captivity was the 70 years.

If not for the Word of God given to Jeremiah, the children of Israel would have only gotten bad news from home!

It is easy to draw a crowd when your words are as butter and honey, but we will never get anything but the truth from the Almighty God!

We would be fools to desire anything but the truth.

In America today so many lies have been told, so many words have been twisted and slanted because of hatred, that we seldom ever hear the truth.

We have people like Soros and others willing to buy lies and liars to swing things the way that they would have the world be, but unless we stand up for the truth, we will lose the freedoms we have because of socialism and communism.

God will certainly test our “faith” and He should, when we are so easily swayed from the truth!

God does not need us to be witness of lies, when we are to be witnesses of the truth!

*****Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

God will never abandon Israel.

Over and over we see this in the Scriptures and we would fools to believe otherwise! We already know that the Lord will chastise those He loves.

God’s “judgment” will only fall on those who hate the Lord!

When a prisoner knows the exact date of his release then everything he does is in preparation for that day.

These Jews needed to adapt to their surroundings and be useful and these 70 years would go quickly.
If they could be a benefit to Babylon, then they could live in peace while these 70 years passed.

This is what the Lord ask us all to do. Seventy years have been determined by the Lord to be the average life span of humans and the Lord only ask us to be busy about the Lord’s work and watch patiently as these years pass by, until He takes us home.

In typology, this is the lesson we can learn from the Jewish captivity!

These were nation builders who Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon and these parents were to pass these skills to their children so that they could rebuild Israel when these 70 years were over.

We must also remember this one thing. These Jews would not return to Israel because they were very good in Babylon.

They would only return to Judah because of God’s “mercy” and God’s “grace”!

They certainly did not deserve to return to the promised land of God because of their own merits.

These things should be really familiar to us all. We will never be good enough to go the God’s Heaven, it will be only because of God’s “mercy” and God’s “grace”!

God always has kind thoughts of all His children and all His creation.

Over and over again we see that God has no intention for the nation of Israel to cease to exist! It would be wise for the world to see this too!

God will fulfill the promises He made to Abraham and to David and we can expect it!

God does not ever forget the things He says!

God promises all His children the greatest of futures. Things this world can never provide!

We know that the Messiah, Jesus came first to save, and the Messiah will return to sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem the capital of Israel because this is the place He has chosen.

The Lord will lead us to an expected end that He has chosen and on to a life of wonderful blessings, which He has made new!

All these things are centered one object: the “good” for all those who love the LORD!

Zec 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

We must understand, God does not need a nation that depends on its own power, God needs a nation that depends on the power of the Holy God who cannot be defeated!

Zec 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
Zec 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Nations may hate Israel today and some gather against her but when they become a Christian nation all the world will gather against her!

When we look upon the One who was pierced to shed His blood for our salvation, we will see the Almighty God who saves and who destroys!

What is the nation of Israel lacking today?

*****Jer 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

They will fulfill the only thing they are lacking.

2Ch_7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The ears of God are always open to hearing this prayer from any of us but especially the children of Israel!

Even King Solomon understood what the Word of God was saying;

1Ki 8:47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
1Ki 8:48 And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:
1Ki 8:49 Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,
1Ki 8:50 And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

Where did Daniel pray? From a window facing Jerusalem.

In fact this was to the location of their prayers no matter where they were. It would not hurt if we also prayed toward Jerusalem with all our heart, all our soul in the land of our enemies.

The enemies of the Church continue to gather against her but the “Bride of Christ” must never be afraid of what this world can do to her!

This world has hated the Church from the day the Lord Jesus began His Church!

What always been the truth of God?

*****Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Jer 29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

What is the key? When we pray with a heart that has been given over to the truth of God!

We must humble ourselves in an act of submission to the Lord and allow Him to do as He pleases with us!

Let the Lord do what seems to Him to be good for us!

We must then have hope, “faith” in the promises of God.

Our relationship to the Lord must be on a personal nature just as His disciples.

It is a great feeling knowing that the Lord is thinking of us with His every thought!

In all His majestic creation God thinks about those who love Him the most!

How can God have good thoughts of a sinner such as I am?

God knows, who we are and what we are, and He gives the same instructions to us as He did to these captives in Babylon.

We are to make the most out of our circumstances and be patient, and prayerful, watching for the return of the Lord.

God does not ask much out of us when we think about all the benefits of giving ourselves to Him!

Listen to this Psalm of David

Psa 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psa 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Psa 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psa 103:6 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

How can we not love Him?

Amen

Let’s Pray

Submitting to the Will of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Submission to God’s Will

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 27

What is a lie? Many things are said to one another through ignorance of the subject end up being untruths, but a lie is an intentional violation of the truth.

The father of all lies is Satan the Devil.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

There were many so-called prophets in the day of Jeremiah, but Jeremiah was called of God and He spoke the words God had given to him.

Today there are also many false prophets from the family of Satan who are roaming the earth to confuse the children of God.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Satan roams to and fro through this earth and he and his demon family to can temporarily change into the children of light again to cause the confusion of God’s children.

2Co_11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Today we have the complete Word of God, that God gave to His prophets and a few other men by the Holy Spirit and all the Word of God is the undisputed truth for the Church!

2Pe_1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

We must clearly understand that everyone who call themselves a man of God, or Pastor, or Preacher, or the one most abused Reverend are men who were not called of God as Jeremiah and the true prophets and the other writers of the Holy Scriptures and those who have asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come in their heart today.

What did Jesus say?

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; “but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven”.
Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Today as we witness for the Lord, we will find that there are many who may dispute the Word of God.

There are many who intentionally twist the Word of God into a lie and they are in the family of their father Satan!

God has warned us and all this world that there is only one way “to be close to Him and that is by His Son Jesus Christ”!

Let’s begin Chapter 27 at verse 1

*****Jer 27:1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 27:2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

The writings of Jeremiah may not be in chronological order, but he does provide many time lines that can be proven by history.

Jehoiakim was the second son of King Josiah who we already know was a king who knew the truth of God and followed it, but at a young age, he died in a war that did not concern Judah.

The first son of Josiah, Jehoahaz had been deposed by Pharaoh-Necho of Egypt.

These were very turbulent years for God’s people, but they were the cause of their own demise.

Many visitors representing the kings from the surrounding nations came to Jehoiakim to try to convince him to join them in a rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar.

Many false prophets from all those nations, including those from Judah tried to convince their kings to link up so they could destroy the King of Babylon but The Lord God Jehovah, by Jeremiah, said to surrender to this king so that they could live, and this would stop the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the things of the Temple but also the desctruction of those nations.

Nebiuchadnezzar would have been just as happy to make them all vasals of Babylonia and serve him.

The result of these things is that these deceitful leaders rose up in opposition to Jeremiah, the Lord’s true prophet.

A bond is a physical means of restraint and metaphorically signifies oppression and captivity

A yoke is an instrument normally made of wood to make powerful animals useful in man’s labor.

A yoke is then a symbol of servitude and slavery.

These two things are terrible, but they are not death and to go against the Word of God brings death!

What did God say to Adam?

Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “thou shalt not eat of it”: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Jeremiah was to wear these things as he spoke the Word of God to the king and his officers and the elders of Judah.

Jeremiah was to also make enough of these things to send to the kings of the surrounding nations who were already in bondage to the King of Babylon. It was these kings who were trying to get Jehoiakim to join in a rebellion against the King of Babylon when they should have remained under his control but living in their own nation.

*****Jer 27:3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

These nations who were neighbors to Judah had sent representatives to the King of Judah and it would be these representatives that Jeremiah would present these yokes of bondage to take back to those kings with the Word of God.

Jeremiah warned them that they were all wrong to defy the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar.

We should believe it was nothing unusual for a Jewish Prophet to be listened to with respect, when addressing a foreign nation

Jehoiakim had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon and Jeremiah insisted that King Zedekiah give this same message to the King of Egypt instead of words of rebellion.

All these things may sound foreign to our way of thinking, but it was the King of Babylon who was used to “judge” Judah and no power on earth could overcome him until God allowed it to happen.

Eze 17:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Eze 17:12 Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;
Eze 17:13 And hath taken of the king’s seed, and made a covenant with him, and hath taken an oath of him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land:
Eze 17:14 That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand.
Eze 17:15 But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered?
Eze 17:16 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
Eze 17:17 Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company make for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and building forts, to cut off many persons:
Eze 17:18 Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.

What was God’s message for all these kings? With their own eyes they could see Jeremiah approach wearing the yoke he had prepared for himself by the Word of God.

*****Jer 27:4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
Jer 27:5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

Jehovah God is the Creator of man and beast and He will do as He pleases.

The greatest truth of Creation is the fact that all things age until they have died, including this earth that we live upon.

This goes against everything that evolution stands for!

Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
Rom 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Rom 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

This earth we live upon is not eternal and it could not have happened by chance. It is not the work of many gods because it has only one Maker!

When we are thinking right, we know that we could not survive alone because we depend on too many things that we cannot provide for ourselves!

We suffer depression when we stop short of recognizing we have a Creator!

We are foolish when we reject the truth of the Lord!

Rev_1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

We must understand God gives us many gifts but we do not ever actully have the right of ownership.

“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away”

We are temporary tenants on this land but we are not owners.

God does what He pleases with His Own Creation!

*****Jer 27:6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
Jer 27:7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

At this time in history, Nebuchadnezzar was used of God.

Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

God is in control of His Created World!

Deu 32:6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?
Deu 32:7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
Deu 32:8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
Deu 32:9 For the LORD’S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

We seem to always forget these things today. We readily admit that our Lord never changes but we soon forget what He has already said and done!

Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

Nebuchadnezzar was told that his empire would belong to another and it was Jeremiah who said Judah would only be in his hands for 70 years and it was Isaiah that said it would be Cyrus would cause this to happen, all according to the Word of God.

God is very serious about His plan to come about just as He has spoken!

*****Jer 27:8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

Have you ever noticed that God puts a plan into action where the most human beings can live? Even during the time of wars and rumors of wars if we would just listen to what God has to say we can live peaceable and meaningful lives.

When we go against the Word of God we will see death by the sword or wars, death by famine or death by disease.

Pro 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
Pro 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
Pro 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
Pro 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Pro 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
Pro 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
Pro 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
Pro 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

We must understand that God will give us what we ask for even if it is the wrong thing, as long as it does not interfere with His plan for all the ages!

God will certainly use one nation to punish another nation, if they will not serve the Lord who preserved them!

We should also understand that as the father of the prodigal son, the Lord will certainly rush out to meet His people who are on the way back to Him!

We must cling to the Word of God which is always the truth in every age!

*****Jer 27:9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
Jer 27:10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

When will we ever learn that we live in a world of “deceivers”!

Satan is the invisible agent of evil in our world!

In the end, God will remove him. There has never been but one way to overcome him and his evilness.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Satan is the power behind false prophecy.
Satan is the power behind every false preacher and every false teacher.
Satan is the power behind diviners and soothsayers, and enchanters and all sorcery.

Satan is the power behind every lie that has ever been told!

Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

These things were no different in the days of Jeremiah, so he preached the infallible Word of God, which is “always” the truth!

It is this same evil that has a goal to remove everything that God has placed in our hands by His Dear Son Jesus, including our testimony.

He cannot remove us from being in the family of God.

These Jews will always be the “apple in God’s eye” but who is truly a Jew?

Rom_2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom_2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

God knows who His children are!

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

When the Lord tells us something then we need to listen to what He has to say and not only to listen, but we need to obey His every Word and His every thought, which He has written down for us, so we do not get confused!

*****Jer 27:11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

Notice God was not talking to just these Jews of Judah but to all the surrounding nations who could all for the most part stayed at home even if they had to pay taxes to Babylon for 70 years.

Much worse things than these would happen if they went to war with a nation that the Lord had guided to this position in order to keep the greatest majority of His people safe, just by keeping them informed about what was happening.

We can never alter the plan of God, we can only make our lives miserable when we reject the truth of God!

What these people did not understand is, if they would be subject to the King of Babylon they would still be safe and secure from an invasion from any other power.

In fact God would have caused the land to produce plenty enough to pay the tribute to Babylon and then have enough for their personal means.

The politicians and elders of the Jews were just too full of the Devil to listen to what God had to say.

They were too greedy to give up any power they thought that they had!

This same thing is happening in every nation around us today. They refuse to listen to what “thus sayeth the Lord”!!!!!

Since they rejected the words of Jeremiah, then God said for them to surrender and those that were carried away would still live!

The study of the Book of Esther, Nehemiah, and Ezra are the proof along with the Prophets Daniel, Ezekiel and others.

Jer 42:9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
Jer 42:10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.
Jer 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

God made sure the King of Judah and the rulers of Judah clearly understood these things.

*****Jer 27:12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

God’s people understand what going through a little hardship means but those who live by riches and power do not understand the meaning of hardship!

2Ch 36:11 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
2Ch 36:12 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.
2Ch 36:13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.

It was the King of Babylon who had placed Zedekiah upon the throne of Judah, but he was an evil man who then sought his own place in a power vacuum in Judah.

Why do politicians never understand that hardship is much better than disaster!

God has only one question for all those who reject His message of salvation!

*****Jer 27:13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

Rejecting the Word of God is accepting eternal damnation. Therefore false preachers and teachers teach that there is no Hell or that Hell is a place that you can escape from, both terrible lies and deceit.

This is the same question all the prophets of God asked and we as the witnesses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are to ask today!

God has no pleasure in the death of any human being!

Eze 18:31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Eze 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Everyone that dies without Jesus Christ has lost something that they formally had in their possession which is “Life”!

There are not many who will not give up all they have just to have a good life and God offers eternal life in a place that the beauty of cannot be described by words and so many reject this life and choose death instead! Not just death but damnation!

They who die because of sin that God ask them to repent of, and because the Lord has already paid for that sin, are no more than just being foolish!

Eze 18:23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

The function of every true prophet of God, with respect to the government of the world and of the people’s walk, is always a testimony to the judgment which hangs over all unfaithfulness.

Wnen we reject the Word of God we are calling God a liar!

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

God just ask us to believe!

*****Jer 27:14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

We started this lesson by asking what a lie is. A lie is not something said out of ignorance of the subject.

A lie is anything spoken intentionally which deviates from the truth in any manner!

This person is a deceiver! A deceiver is an imposter who attempts to lead others in some wrong manner!

These are the preachers and teachers who intentionally spew out false messages because they reject the truth of God.
These are the false so-called prophets of this world who deny the existence of a Supernatural Deity.
These are those who spit out evolution as a science when it to is a bunch of lies from those who reject the truth of God.

Peter said:

2Pe 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2Pe 2:2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; “by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of”.
2Pe 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

John said:

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God”:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

The spirit of the anti-christ has been with this world since the time of Adam!

What did the Lord say will happen in the end?

Eze 13:22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
Eze 13:23 Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

We have the truth of God.

We are fools not to believe Him!

Amen

Let’s Pray

The Lion or the Lamb

/ Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

Judgment on Gentile Nations

Book of Jeremiah 25

Without a doubt, as the Bride of Christ, we should be anxiously watching and waiting for the return of the Lord. In fact this is a command of God.

We need to live our life as if the Lord could return at any moment because this is true!

We must also understand that “All” nations are accountable to God!

Those nations that are not watching nor waiting for the return of Christ will see His wrath!

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

There is a tremendous difference between the voice of love and the voice of death!

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, but He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

There will be no place to hide from the wrath of God!

There is no security outside the will of God!

Every person and every nation have a choice to drink of the cup of submission to the will of the Lord or they will certainly drink of the cup of His wrath!

The cup of God’s wrath is the consequence of unrepented sin!

Jesus Christ is in the future of every human being that has ever lived whether good or bad, we will all face the Lord at some point that He decides Himself!

Year after year Jeremiah preached these things to Judah and many of his words had reached into other nations so many of them also hated Jeremiah for the words he was preaching.

The truth is that the “Judgment of God” is not a very pleasant thing to think about!

Why is this so true? Every nation will be held accountable for the way God’s People have been treated. “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord”.

This includes the Church and also the nation of Israel.

Listen as Jeremiah preached to Judah:

*****Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

We should not be surprised that true history agrees with the Word of God.

Babylon is the first of the five kingdoms that Daniel said by the Holy Spirit that would conquer the known world of that day to form a great empire. The fifth one being the Kingdom of the Lord Himself on the throne of David, which is still in the future.

Daniel and Ezekiel were both taken captive in the time of Jeremiah who God had chosen to remain in Judah at this time.

Nebuchadnezzar had captured Judah in 605 BC. His army had also defeated the powers of Egypt and the powers of Assyria.

Some believe that this period of time was the fulfillment of Luke 21:24.

Luk 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The time of the Gentiles is not yet complete and will not be complete until the Church has been removed and the Lord sits on the throne of David.

We should understand that God knows the ending at the same time of the beginning and He has a Master plan in place.

We can see God work in the generation that we live in and Jeremiah could see God work in his own generation.

In that 70 years most all those non-believers would die off and those that were born would live in a land of idol worshippers and learn the truth of God.

The thing we also see is that the nation of Babylon as powerful as they were would only last for 70 years because God is always right!

*****Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

Today the original city of Babylon is a wilderness and a swamp and only a few signs still exist of its wonders.

We also know that God uses some human as a servant to fulfill His will and Nebuchadnezzar was used of God at this time.

The greatest lesson we can learn of these times is that we need to pay attention to what God says!

We must certainly never reject the Word of God.

When these things went according to the plan of God, God then brought “Judgment” upon Babylon because of its cruelty not only to God’s people but also to all the people in that Empire.

Isa 13:19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
Isa 13:20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

As I said, you cannot pitch a tent in a swamp!

God keeps His eyes on each and every generation!

Jeremiah prophesied against all nations and that includes all the nations of today.

*****Jer 25:13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.

We must understand that the people of Judah hated the words that Jeremiah spoke, and many sought to kill him.

As Americans would not the people be the same today if some so-called prophet preached the downfall of America but in reality the Word of God does this very thing. The Lord will rule all nations when He will sit on the throne of David, which means the Throne of Power.

We also see that Jeremiah spoke of the seventy years of Babylon’s existence and many of them would take it out on the Jews as we read in the Book of Esther along with the other prophets of that day.

God would next use Persia, then Greece and then Rome as said by Daniel and then the Kingdom of God.

Dan 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

And Daniel would then relate all these things to the Birth of Christ!

Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

God does not ever forget His people no matter where they are.

*****Jer 25:14 For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

God warns us that we must not close our ears to the “Gospel”. We must never refuse to hear the Word of God!

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Joh 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Joh 5:41 I receive not honour from men.
Joh 5:42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

We would think if we got to see a portion of the wrath of God before it actually came, it would change the way we think but those in the time of Jeremiah only got madder at God. We are foolish to ignore the Word of God!

*****Jer 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

Jeremiah was allowed to see the wrath of God in a vision so when he preached of the wrath of God, he could teach the complete truth.

It was not just Judah who would see the wrath of God it was every nation of that day as one empire was taken down another one would begin all seeking world domination just as foolish nations still seek to do today.

This was the message of Jeremiah to all people of that day including Judah. Only Judah was told that their captivity would only last 70 years.

Babylon was to be the agent for God’s “judgment” not only for Judah but also for all the nations of that day!

Psa 75:7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Psa 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

This was the same lesson we learned down at the Potter’s House.

*****Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:

Again we see Jeremiah did not question the Lord even after he had seen this terrible vision.

Jeremiah was “faithful” to make sure God’s message was shared with every nation that they would be devoured by Babylon, but Babylon would only rule them for 70 years. We also know that this did not set well with the Babylonians and also the Chaldees.

These nations would get this opportunity to see the truth of God and to make a choice to believe or not believe.

This is what the Lord does, he gives us an opportunity to make the right choice.

Those who were wicked would be like staggering drunks trying to defend themselves.

God would prove to the world that it was He who held all the power!

Judah would learn that Jehovah was not exclusively for the Jews.

We already know the Lord is no respecter of persons and it is easy to see that He is no respecter of nations, so He would begin with Judah.

Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

When we do not worship the Lord then by default, we worship Satan!

None of us have the means to defend ourselves against the Sword of the Lord!

*****Jer 25:26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
Jer 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.

The world would not understand how Babylon, an impenetrable fortress, could be overrun.

The truth of the “Judgment” of God is that it will be a complete and irreversible and unstoppable!

The truth of the “Judgment” of God is that God will begin with His own people!

Just as sure as in this day of Jeremiah were God began with Judah, it will be the same for the Church Age.

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
1Pe 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

God will always “Judge” His people first, so that that this world will see that it cannot go unpunished!

To drink of the “cup” of God is to submit to the will of God. To reject this cup is to have this cup poured out first on your head then the rest of your body.

It is the same for the human being as it will be for all the nations that reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

All the wicked of this earth will be helpless as a drunk trying to defend itself. In another lesson it read like a man walking in darkness on slippery ice.

These are the ways we as sinners walked before we came to know the Lord. We could have died at any time without the Lord!

In fact this was a prophesy of Babylon who felt so confident of her power that when the enemy came they would have drunken parties instead of being alert to the enemy.

This is the way Cyrus found them when he occupied Babylon.

This is also the same way Satan works on an over confident Christian.

*****Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink.
Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

We should clearly understand that if God is willing to destroy His own people and the city where He has placed His name, to rid this world of evil and its sin, then He certainly would have no problem in destroying all this world.

Remember God has already said there will be a New World and a New Jerusalem.

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

We must also understand that God never threatens anyone, God just simply tells us what is going to happen.

God does these things not as a Prophet would do it but as the true God, our Creator would do it!

This entire world will certainly drink the Cup of the wrath of God because this world refuses to repent of its wicked ways!

There is “no one” who rebels against the Father or His Son or His Holy Spirit who will go unpunished for rejecting the truth of the “Gospel”!

*****Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

We would be foolish to believe that these things were just written for the days of Jeremiah!

Even when the Lord “roars from Heaven”, He is seeking repentance for this will be the last opportunity before He sends the Sword of His Wrath which is eternal death.

Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Joe 2:12 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joe 3:16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

These were not idle words spoken by Jeremiah, these were the words of truth!

Rev 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
Rev 14:19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

In the days of Jeremiah the grapes were trodden down by men who when they saw that the fruit of the vine had all been gathered would shout the victory.

As the evil of this earth will be trodden down this shout of victory will turn into the battle-cry of the Lord! The Lord would roar as He had now to performed the things He had said He would do.

The Lord is never happy when He must deliver His wrath to those who have rebelled!

*****Jer 25:31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

Notice that the Wrath of God is only for the “wicked”.

We should see this as a prelude to the White Throne Judgment.

1) There would be the Judge but there would be no jury.
2) There would be an indictment but there would be no defense.
3) There would be a sentence but there would be no appeal.

Where as to those who love the Lord, He will be our Defense!

God will have given all people plenty of opportunity to change their evil ways, admit their guilt and to repent.

For those who refuse it will be too late.

There will be no more rumors of war, this world will be in all-out war with itself!

*****Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

What did Jesus say?

Luk 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Luk 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Luk 21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

We must not be confused by false Preachers and teachers!

We are already witnesses as evil is going forth from nation to nation enforced by the governments of this world.

That great whirlwind is already beginning to turn and when it reaches its full rotation, you will be glad you were a Christian and missed out on the wrath of God.

*****Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

For the Jews, to not have a proper burial was a disgrace! This was treating a human being as common rubbish, but this is exactly the way the bodies those who are wicked will be treated in the day of the Lord.

There would be no one to mourn them.

There would be no one to bury them.

There is no place in Heaven for those who hate the Lord!

There is not even one piece of dust in all of Heaven.

When Judah was overrun by Babylon it was just a prelude to the final judgment where we know things will at least be 7 times in multiples worse.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Take Lord at His Word and just believe what He says!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Two Groups of People

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Judah Deported

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 24

To understand this lesson, we need to understand the sacrifice of the “first fruits”.

These first fruits were to be the choicest of the first harvest of the crops.

The nation of Israel was known as God’s “first fruits”.

Jer 2:3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

Here “holiness” means a people dedicated to God.

All those of Israel who were offended by the ways of God would be punished. It is the same today!

Today “first fruits can be used as all those who are first saved in a new area and led to the Lord.

Rom 16:5 Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.

So, we see that Israel were to be the first fruits of In God’s increase!

Let’s see as the Lord shows Jeremiah a new vision so he also could understand what God was doing.

*****Jer 24:1 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
Jer 24:2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.

We know that figs are small sweet pear-shaped fruits and they grow on small trees.

We should remember that Adam and Eve made the very first camouflage clothing line from the leaves of the fig tree when they knew they had sinned and were trying to hide from God.

Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

So, we know there were many fig trees around from day 1 and not some cross bred tree like so many are today.

This lesson was intended for Jeremiah, but it is also intended for us here today!

There are only two groups of people in the world. Those who follow in the will of God and those who are not in the will of God!

One of the biggest problems we face in this world today is that people do not want to hear the truth, especially when it affects their lifestyle!

1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
***1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

In our lesson today, the good figs will represent the Jews who were carried away into captivity, the bad figs were those left behind who would reject the Word of God given to the prophet Jeremiah.

This is the great hope of all those who have come to know the Lord in a personal relationship and one day soon the Lord will carry us away to be with Him while those who reject the Word of God will be left behind!

The bad figs represent all those who are left behind in Judah at this time and all those who have rejected the Lord when He returns.

Just so we know for more than 200 years God had sent His prophets to warn Israel of sin.

During the time of Jeremiah, God had intensified His warnings.

During the time of Jeremiah, God had reached a point where He would no longer forgive His people of their sin. Not because God became unforgiving but because He knew that this generation of Jews simply would not repent.

We know that God never changes so it is very true that the Holy Spirit will not always strive with individuals even in our time.

It is also in the time of Jeremiah that God would deal with the wrongs of His people and execute justice upon them!

Today we have been given the truth by the Apostles of Jesus Christ:

Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, “as unto Christ”;
Eph 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, “doing the will of God from the heart”;
Eph 6:7 With good will “doing service, as to the Lord”, and not to men:
Eph 6:8 “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord”, whether he be bond or free.

If we cannot understand these things, then we need to take the time to get it right.

God can see into the heart, and He knows if we are the real thing or not!

God knew these same things about Judah!

You want to begin to destroy a nation, remove all the people of knowledge and skills who can build a nation but most important remove all those who love the Lord.

It is this time when Daniel and his three friends, and Ezekiel and many others such as Mordecai and Esther would be in this group, with Nehemiah and Ezra.

We can see that these were certainly the good figs who would keep the Word of God on trac to reach the day of Jesus Christ!

Those that were left behind who had rejected the law of God were indeed the bad figs.

Certainly, there were also some others left behind that knew the Lord because God always has His remnant. These would probably be those who were the poorest in the nation who all the politicians had forgotten from both sides and considered useless.

Remember this is a vision that only Jeremiah sees at this time.

*****Jer 24:3 Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

The very good figs represented the true believers among the Jews that were carried off into captivity.

We will see that no one can out think the Lord. It would be captivity that would protect the true believers while those who worship idols would die off leaving a people of believers.

God would use captivity to save His children.

We should know by now that the Lord has many ways to deal with nations, but He does this by dealing with the individuals in any nation.

Many times, the true villains will remain unknown until it is time for God to expose them.

Immorality will ruin any nation but crimes against those who do live a moral life will also ruin a nation.

The Lord is the giver of life and when He departs, a body soon decays into nothingness and vanity!

Jeremiah would not only see many of these things with his own eyes, the Lord would also show him in visions things that would become the truth.

In fact the greatest Prophet of them all is Jehovah God, The Lord of all the Ages!

We may not see the visions that Jeremiah saw but we can certainly see our own nation fall into the trap of immorality.

Even history proves these things will cripple any nation that partakes in such things.

Who are God’s heroes? Those that know the Word of God and take a stand on its truths!

The kingdom of Satan is just as active as the Kingdom of Christ if not more so today, to the shame of those who profess to be Christians.

The differences in the good figs and the bad figs are the differences between Heaven and Hell!

What did Jesus say?

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Mat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
Mat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

*****Jer 24:4 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 24:5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.

When we see how the Lord deals with His children, it should teach us that the actions of love in our own heart cannot come close to the action of love from the Lord.

We must understand that sometimes that hard and distressing position, is the best for us.

God will humble us sometimes just, so He can make us to be stronger and more useful.

How could we have the wonderful words of the Holy Spirit through Daniel and Ezekiel if the Jews had remained in Judah?

Their removal to Babylon saved them from the awful things that faced those who were left behind!

It is no wonder that Jeremiah was treated so badly when he preached these things to the people of Judah.

We may not always understand the ways of God but then, this is why we must have “faith”!

God’s plan goes far beyond our own imaginations!

2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The truth is when are made to see how the enemy lives, most everyone of us will agree that the truth of God is where we need to be!

God had told these people that in order to be saved they must surrender to the enemy.

It may have been to Nebuchadnezzar this time, but this is the main theme of our salvation.

To be saved we must surrender to the truth of God!

There is another principle of salvation that plays out in our next Scripture.

*****Jer 24:6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

Paul wrote: Rom_11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

This is the same thing God told Jeremiah and we know that this time is still in the future.

The Church will already be the Lord when this takes place!

The Lord has already said He will set His eyes upon them for good and this is part of the good God was talking about!

Job 34:21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.

Isa 54:8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

Jehovah God, The Lord Jesus Christ just loves to save but He also requires obedience!

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

All these things require a “new heart”!

*****Jer 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

The truth of this new heart is that we will all know our Savior!
All those with a heart to know our Savior will know Him because the Holy Spirit moves in to illuminate our minds to know our Savior.

1Co_2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

We must not just know the Lord.
We must have that personal knowledge within ourselves, our entire being.
We must speak to Him while He reads the intent of our new heart!

To know the Lord is to love the Lord!

Some say Jerusalem is the center of the universe.
Some same the Sun is the center of the universe.
Some say our galaxy is the center of the universe.
Some say other things are the center of the universe.

The truth is, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is the center of our universe, spiritually and in reality!

When we truly love the Lord then we cannot stand idols or false gods!

When we truly love the Lord then our “Faith” will be set in the right place!

Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

What would God do for the exiles? God would build them up and make them secure!

The truth is the Lord will always sustain His children and give us His assurance that things are much better when our “faith” is real and our love for Him is true!

Pro 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Sometimes things just look so bad around us that we do not know what to believe!

When we remember that things are just like the Lord told us, we will realize that our Lord always tells us the truth!

Our relationship with the Lord will be at its best when we commit to the Word of God and apply it to our lives!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

And the rotten figs:

*****Jer 24:8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
Jer 24:9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.

Judgment is real!

Zedekiah was left behind as a puppet king for Babylon along with those in charge of the government whose main goal was to gather taxes to pay to Babylon, yet they clung to their pride and refused to repent.

Zedekiah was named Mattaniah by his father King Josiah, but it was the king of Babylon who had changed his name to Zedekiah.

2Ki 24:17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
2Ki 24:18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2Ki 24:19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

Zedekiah had no intention of being a puppet king to anyone but thought that as king he could do something himself.

God had already pronounced His judgment and unless there was repentance His judgment would stand.

Jeremiah was his councilor, but the Word of God was ignored, and he entered into an alliance with Hophra king of Egypt.

God had already informed him that even those who fled to Egypt would not miss out on His judgment!

The armies of Nebuchadnezzar would return and this time they would destroy Jerusalem.

What had been God’s promise by the words of Moses?

Deu 28:37 And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

If we do not learn anything else, we need to learn that it is simply foolish to go against the Word of God anytime!

Even today in many nations the Jews are still an object of scorn and they will remain this way until they repent and return to the Lord!

In Jeremiah’s time it was the Babylonian exile of 586 BC and after the Lord had returned to Heaven it was the Roman exile of 70 AD.

Israel was conquered and remained that way until May 14, 1948.

God used war as a means to execute judgment on these people and certain nations of today believe God is still against this people.

*****Jer 24:10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.

The result of sin is still judgment, and this will not ever change!

As long as those who are represented by the evil figs still dwell in the land of Israel, there will be Jews living in disgrace in foreign lands.

2Ch_7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

We are fools to believe that the Lord ever forgets the things He says!

The difference between “Good Figs” and “Bad Figs” are morals.

Both of these tend to grow to the extreme.

The Good Figs were very good! The Bad Figs were very bad!

Those who are moral obey the Word of God.

Those who are immoral reject the Word of God.

It is the morals of every nation that stick out and show what that nation is made of!

The example in our lesson today is that the “Good Figs” seemed to have suffered to most and were taken from their homes.

The “Bad Figs” remained in their homes and seemed to escape the Judgment of God but that was not the end of the story for them!

Heb_12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

These words will also always be true!

We must also remember God’s promise to the true Jews.

Zec 8:13 And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.

Amen

Let’s Pray

God Will Regather True Israel

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Regathering of Israel

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 23

Before we get started in our lesson we should see to whom the Lord is directing these words. We only have to back up one chapter to chapter 22 verse 29.

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

We should know that all these things that went on in the time of Jeremiah took place during his lifetime, but these things have a great meaning for the nation of Israel today and further still in the future and we as Gentiles and the Body of Christ need to listen and learn from all these things.

If we had read these things we would realize that King Coniah or Jeconiah, both are the same. Coniah was of King David’s line through King Solomon and the rights to this throne was cut off by the Lord. Joseph the husband of Mary would be of this same line and God said the Messiah could come from the line of David which the Lord had just ended.

Had Jesus been born the natural way instead of the Super natural way, He would have no claim to the throne in the line of King David.

Had Joseph chosen someone besides Mary to be His wife, it would have broken the chain to the Messiah.

Since the plan of God cannot be altered, Mary was also of the line of David thorough his son Nathan who was the first born of David and Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, being conceived by the Holy Spirit holds the royal title to the throne of David, which He will possess when He returns.

Since the Lord cannot die then His throne is eternal!

Chapter 23 verse 1

*****Jer 23:1 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, saith the LORD.

Things had gotten so bad that Jeremiah had decided to quit on God, but he found that he could not.

Jer 20:9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name but his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

God had rejected this generation and He would be their enemy!

Jer 21:5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

Jer 21:10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

Jer 22:6 For thus saith the LORD unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

Jer 22:9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.

It will never be good for those who have rejected the Lord God Jehovah!

*****Jer 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

These shepherds included the spiritual leaders of this nation but also the political leaders of this nation!

We see right off that it is the job of the Pastor to feed his flock and that food was to be the Word of God!

The job of the Pastor has not changed today, they are to be shepherds to the flock that the Lord has given to them.

These had caused the people of God to be scattered rather than to be gathered together as one people.

**Do we not see this thing today as many so-called Christians have joined with the evils of our nation and the Church is scattered in its beliefs.

We are to gather in one accord with the truth of God!

We simply do not see righteousness and true justice in our society of today.

What had God promised? Peace, security, and prosperity if, God’s people would obey Him.

Joh_8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

When those behind the pulpits of today fail to do their duty, the children of God will be confused. This confusion would go away if they would study the Word of God themselves and remove all those who teach lies rather than the truth of God!

What do we know? Those who scatter God’s people are the same ones who increase their personal wealth, their positions, and sometimes even power, while they condemn God’s people!

God says it is He who will repay them for the evil that they have done!

Psa 62:9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Psa 62:10 Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
Psa 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
Psa 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

We should clearly understand God will eventually punish everyone who oppress God’s people.

It is necessary at this time for these things to take place, so all humans can have an opportunity to repent.

How many will remain true to the Lord?

*****Jer 23:3 And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Some say this is what is going on now and it is but most of these today are not Christian. When the Lord gathers after or even during the Tribulation Period they will truly be His people.

God expects every government to take care of its people. In fact if the people at home are not cared for then our government should not provide our resources to other governments, especially to those that mistreat their people!

Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
Jer 25:34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel.

Those that believe that there is a power greater than the Lord are trusting in vanity!

And for all the naysayers, Israel will one day occupy all the land that was given to Abraham!

Even today with the leaders Israel has, the people of Israel are not very afraid of all those larger enemies that surround them, but must never let pride enter into their politics ever again!

What has God promised?

*****Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

What is the sign of the true Pastor? They are called of God!

God gives us all a job to do but God calls His Pastor in another way, so they can know they have been called. All others who claim to be a Pastor but are not called of God, are imposters!

The true Pastor will not fear what the government can do to him and he will instill this into the flock of God.

As Christians we must never fear what this world can do to us because at death we go to the glory land!

And a greater promise of them all, the Lord Jesus Christ will return and this time He will claim the throne of David!

There are many lessons and many prophesies of the Second coming of the Messiah and this is just one of them.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Jeremiah and Isaiah both knew these things were to be in the future then and still are today, but the time draws very near that the Lord will soon return.

Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

He will have a name much grander than them all:

*****Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

To the Jews His name would be “Jehovah-Tsidkenu”.

To each Christian, since we have no righteousness of our own, He is called The Lord Our Righteousness.

It is because Our Lord spent a sinless life upon this earth that He could take our place on the Cross on Mount Calvary!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, God applies the Righteousness of His Dear Son to us and it is because of this that we can become acceptable to Him.

So who is the Messiah? The Messiah is none other than the righteous Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ!

The truth is we did not have the ability to become “righteous” on our own.

Isa_64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

In fact there has never lived one person upon the face of this earth that has lived a righteous life beside the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom_3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

The days we live in now are the days of the Church but the soon coming Age will be the days of the restored nation of Israel.

*****Jer 23:7 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
Jer 23:8 But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

This prophesy will not see it’s fulfillment while the Church is still upon the face of this earth! The Church will already be in Heaven and then return with the Lord when He returns!

When the Lord sits upon the throne of David, then He will gather His people from all the countries of the world and lead them back to the Promised Land.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Promised land of the Jews is not heaven, but it is a symbol of Heaven.

What we see going on in Israel today is just a partial filling of this prophesy of Jeremiah!

There is a big difference between the Prophet Jeremiah and the false prophets of his days.

*****Jer 23:9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

What is the truth of those false prophets?

Jer 14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

This same thing is true of those false preachers of today in the Church.

Jeremiah had thoughts like many today. Just how could a loving God allow the destruction of His people.

First, we need to describe God’s people.

Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

If cannot fit yourself into these words of the Lord, then you are not God’s people. It is just that simple!

These false prophets will cause many to go astray but only if they reject the truth of God!

It breaks the heart of God for these things to take place, but He can never go against His Word in any case!

What is one of our greatest problems? We cannot always realize the truth of today until it becomes our past.

It seems we always want more truth when we have the greatest of all truths in the Scriptures preserved for us in the Word of God!

We must know God well enough to know that He never does things because of anger. He does things because these are the things that He said he would do.

The Lord never does things because of a lack of love, He does these things because this is what He said he would do and He will never go against His Word.

It is because of the Holiness of His Words.

Holy words are those words that lead us to obey the will of God!

The Word of God is Holy! The Word of God is set apart as the complete truth in a world full of lies and deceit!

*****Jer 23:10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
Jer 23:11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.

We should know that most false worship in the adjacent nations involved sexual sin. Adultery here refers to sexual adultery and more important “Spiritual Adultery” which is idolatry.

The false prophets and the false ministers can commit no greater sin than immorality, sexual or Spiritual.

The Prophets of God are held to a higher standard just as those who preach the Word of God today are!

When a so-called prophet of God turns away from the Lord they have committed apostasy!

It is the same as running away from the Lord as did Jonah. Jonah returned but these had rejected the Lord and the Word of God refusing to repent.

These men had broken the heart of God and God was already bringing drought and famine.

The land was mourning and refused to provide for these people.

The land of Israel never regained the power to provide for Israel, until the children of Israel began to return as Israel was “Born Again” on May 14, 1948. Israel has since blossomed into a truly pleasant land.

This was a sign to them all, that they would certainly face the judgment of God!

The prophets and the priests had chosen wickedness for their model of right and wrong.

Sounds more and more like the America we live in today!

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

How many today have forgotten this simple verse of Scripture?

This is just the opposite of what God has called us all to do!

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It is for this reason their life would be made miserable.

*****Jer 23:12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.

We know that the persecution of Christians has increased many times over, but we can also be sure that those who preach a false message will be persecuted by God Himself, when the time is right.

It is a terrible thing to walk into a place we do not know when it is too dark to see. When we find that the walkway is also slippery it just adds to our fright.

These priests in the day of Jeremiah would walk in the daylight as if it was total darkness and stumble about until they fell for good.

They would be banished from ever serving God again!

Psa 35:1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
Psa 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
Psa 35:3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
Psa 35:4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
Psa 35:5 Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.
Psa 35:6 Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.
Psa 35:7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.
Psa 35:8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.

We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that God will continue to allow these things to take place, but the Scriptures prove to us the God will cause these things to end and those that do these things to come to a wicked end themselves!

They had Blasphemed themselves as they had committed blasphemy in the Temple of Solomon!

As we live day by day as Christians we have the responsibility of keeping ourselves clean without even having the appearance of evil.

The message of the false prophets has not changed much from the time of Jeremiah till the day we live in!

In fact the world keeps telling us that things are better than they ever have been, which is just one of the lies of today!

Spiritual leaders are saying as long as you do things in moderation God will forgive, which is another lie. God may forgive but that forgiveness will not come without repentance. God does not change His ways!

When we reject the truth, we are believing a lie, it’s just that simple!

There is not one nation upon this earth that is immune to the truth of God!

God will gather all the Jews one day and I believe He has started now but most of that fulfillment comes after the Church is taken out of this world.

God always does what He says He will do!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Let’s All Go Down to the Potter’s House

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

God’s Sovereignty over All Nations

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 18

A message I love dearly. The Potter’s House. The main ingredients of the Potter’s House are the wheel, the potter, and the clay to be molded.

We must understand that every message from the Prophet Jeremiah was given to him by the Lord!

Every time Jeremiah spoke, he spoke the words of the Lord.

Had Jeremiah spoken his own words, he would have spoken against the Lord.

Jeremiah wept because he knew that whatever Jehovah said was the complete truth and Jeremiah had a great love for his nation and its people. Even then he did not love them as much as the Lord did.

We may never understand what the Lord is doing but we just must understand that what the Lord is doing is the right thing to do!

So, let’s go with Jeremiah down to the Potter’s House.

*****Jer 18:1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

We must clearly understand that the work of the potter, even when those earthen vessels can be beautiful, they are fragile and easy to destroy. It is the same with human life!

The most wonderful of all God’s creations are the human beings but we are very fragile and very easy to destroy.

In many cases the Potter can take that broken vessel made of this earth and put it back together as something brand new!

There are many things that we do not understand such as, why is there so much evil and wickedness in this world?

Why does God allow this evil to continue, when He certainly has the power to put a stop to it all?

The thing we must understand about the Potter is that his creations are under direct control!

The Lord has the sovereign right and the absolute power to save or to condemn as He chooses because He alone is God.

It is this same sovereign God who sets the standards for His creations to be saved or to be condemned.

Because of the “Mercy” of the Lord, He is never impulsive in His actions nor is He unreasonable in His request!

Our Lord is neither a dictator nor is He a tyrant!

He is just a loving God who expects righteousness because He is righteous in all His actions whether we agree or not!

We do not have the intelligence to say our Creator has done wrong or has done right according to our own expectations.

The LORD is holy in all the things He does!

We can all learn some valuable lessons down at the Potter’s House!

*****Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

There is not one living person nor any religion, including evolution and atheism, that cannot understand the work of the Potter!

What did Abraham ask?

Gen_18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right”?

I can tell you today that the Potter, our Lord will always do right because He does not know how to do wrong!

Doing wrong is something that is very far from the Lord.

Humans are the greatest of all God’s creations and He tolerates us enough to offer choices and He respects the choices we make.

He will still allow for our repentance when we have made the wrong choice. How can anyone find fault in the ways of the Lord because there are none!

The prophet Jeremiah was not to miss this important lesson and the Holy Spirit intended for us all to visually see this lesson from the wheel of the Potter.

If we cannot see it here, then maybe we need to take a trip to the potter’s house that exist today. The same lessons can still be learned!

Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Even today there are craftsmen who make pottery basically the same way it was done in the days of Jeremiah.

There is the potter, the wheel, and his clay that he has chosen for a certain result.

Jeremiah was watching as the potter found a flaw in the work he was doing, and he looked to see if he had made a mistake when he saw a flaw in the clay and he had to start over again.

In the Potter’s eyes every piece of clay contained its own individual master piece and He would make and remake each piece of clay until was satisfied that what he made was a true jewel of craftsmanship!

Then the Lord said to Jeremiah.

*****Jer 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

We must understand that we are all a creation of the Master Potter and we are certainly to be a work of His own hands.

The Lord can do to people, to communities, and to nations as He pleases and remember it is the goal of the Lord that every single individual to come into a personal relationship with Him.

Sometimes people reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of the Lord are still to be witnesses of the truth.

Sometimes our communities reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of the Lord still are to be witnesses.

Sometimes our nations reject the truth of the Lord, but we as the children of God are still to be witnesses.

It is our job to witness and pray in the locations the Lord has placed us and it is the Lord who will send the Holy Spirit to convict those who have heard the Word of God and the “Gospel” of the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is the Almighty God who truly holds all His creation in the palm of His hands!

Sometimes our clay is so full of debris that the Potter must break us and start over again. In fact, when we reach that point that we are broken down completely, this is when the Potter does His greatest work!

We must certainly keep in mind that what God does today is in preparation for His Master work in the future and He just allows and prefers us be a part of it!

It is the Scriptures that take us through the history of Israel, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Phoenicia, Greece and Alexander the Great, and Rome and the circle continues until it has reached back to Israel.

We are nearing the end of the Church Age and the Lord’s next move has been taught by most all the prophets of the Old Testament, beginning with the Birth of Christ.

God does not create robots, or machines that would automatically praise and worship Him, so it should be obvious that the Lord is preparing those who choose to live with Him throughout eternity!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

And the truth of God as I have said, allows more than one chance to accept that what He says is true. In fact, until the day you die a physical death, you will have an opportunity to repent and be saved as long as you have not stepped over God’s red line of forgiveness. Even God has a “Red Line” that must not be crossed. There is a sin unto death!

1Jn_5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
1Jn_5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

God says just leave all these things in His hands and just tell as many as you can about the truth of the ‘Gospel”!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This truth will never change! Why would we think we could ever interfere with God’s ultimate plan!

*****Jer 18:7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
Jer 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

We should also understand that the wrath of God comes when we least expect it.

Luk 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
Luk 17:25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Luk 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
Luk 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

The Lord teaches us to watch and He teaches us what to watch for, so we can know when an Age is about to end.

I firmly believe we are nearing the end of the Church Age because of the things we have already seen happen in our world and continue to happen.

The thing that is also true is the fact that when the Lord is chastising, He is craving for repentance, so He does not have to do the things He says He will destroy.

Anything that our Lord God does is out of love for His children. When God is your Father you can better understand all these things.

Again, the Lord gives us “Free Will” to make the choices we make, and the Lord will honor our choices and the Lord will spend some time teaching us why we made the wrong choice before He fulfills the things He said He would if we reject His words!

Isa 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

We do not have the right to question the things that God does! We should never question the Lord’s intelligence!

God does not owe us an answer to every question we ask Him! In fact the Lord does not owe us an answer to any questions we have.

The Lord says who He is and that should be enough, but He loves us too much to stop there!

*****Jer 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Jer 18:10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

As a people how can we deny that there is a power revealing itself in the changes and the choices of human history. There is a power shaping the course of this world until it reaches that place where He has decided.

When some unexpected calamity strikes down an individual sinner, most people see this as the “judgment” of God, but it may not be judgment at all.

We cannot deny that “providence” asserts itself in human affairs.

Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

It cannot be denied that our Divine Potter has total control of His creation.

*****Jer 18:11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

We are also foolish if we cannot see that our God, our Lord, is all about repentance!

Our Lord would have everyone to be saved so He says, “Return Return”. God has so much love for all His creation that He almost begs us for repentance.

God has established “free will” but He has also established “judgment” both are His laws that must be enforced. This thing we must believe!

We can trust the Word of God to be true!

It is the law of repentance that brings “salvation”!

Eze 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

If we choose to reject and deny the LORD, cursing His holy name, we will certainly face “judgment” and be condemned!

Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

What did the people of Judah say?

*****Jer 18:12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

The greatest problem we have in ourselves is, we refuse to believe that we cannot save ourselves!

It is these types that are hopeless and beyond repentance and the Lord knows who these people are, and He will recall the Holy Spirit from them and also His conviction.

These people know themselves that they are then on their own and without God!

They let the Prophet Jeremiah know he was wasting his time and again we see a reason for this Prophet of God to weep for his nation.

Carnal minds will continue to search for life’s answers in this world, where no such answers exist!

It is only by “Grace” that we can escape from the condemnation of this world!

It is only by “Faith” that we can have peace with God!

Many people are looking for salvation of another kind and another place, that simply does not exist!

So, history will certainly repeat itself on the Day of the Lord!

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Again, we see that word “therefore”.

*****Jer 18:13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.

God said to Jeremiah, ask all those in the world who worship false gods if they would leave such a God as Jehovah!

If you are searching this entire world for a God who makes such promises as the Lord, one cannot be found.

The Lord presents us with a book of Scriptures that describe all His desires and all His actions and never leaves out the terrible times of His people, when others would.

Jehovah by His actions and by His Word shows that He is the only true Almighty God!

Mat 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

The virgin Israel has certainly done a terrible thing!

*****Jer 18:14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

We have gotten totally confused when we can forsake a greater good for something much less.

Pro 25:25 As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

We serve a God who has unlimited resources why in the world would we forsake our God for some false object that has no resources at all!

The worst thing that can happen to a military unit is for the enemy to get behind it and cut off its supplies.

When we forsake the true God of all “Grace” we have allowed Satan’s false gods to come between us and our true God!

We have cut ourselves off from the fountain of living waters!

Jer_2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Jer_17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

When has nature changed her ways to suit the politics of any people!

The Lord God Jehovah will never change His ways to satisfy any one group of people nor for any or all people.

What was the verdict for the Judah of this day?

*****Jer 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

What is the sinners doom, those who reject God’s Divine Government?

They are guilty of idolatry.
They have rejected the “Mercy” of God.
They have become enemies of the Gospel.
They have forgotten the truth and traded it for lies.

They will see the wrath of God and if they do not repent. Then they will perish to a life that is not life but a place of eternal doom!

Amen!

Let’s Pray!

Understanding the Judgement of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

God’s Judgment on Judah

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 16

We can say that “judgment” is the power of determining anything to be true or false. In fact, in every instance of memory or perception there is involved some judgment!

We do this even without realizing what we have done. Every act of the conscious mind involves judgment!

We should understand that in most cases “Judgment” simply means God removes His hand of blessing from us and allows Satan a little bit of control over our lives.

God must judge all things that are unholy, and this “Judgment” is a necessary expression of God’s character!

However, God’s “Judgment” will always be fair and according to His truth!

Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

We must clearly understand this one thing!

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

We must also understand that even this is not the final “Judgment” which comes later!

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Those that love the Lord will meet Him at the “Judgment Seat of Christ”.

Those that reject the Lord will meet Him at the White Throne Judgment.

*****Jer 16:1 The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying,
Jer 16:2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.

Jeremiah was to live his entire life separated unto the Lord.

Jeremiah was to be a sign to the people of Judah, a warning to the families of this nation and not just them but, a warning to all nations including those who are alive today!

The Holy Spirit did not include the Book of Jeremiah just, so we could ignore what God says here!

Jeremiah was a young man still but, unlike what the commentaries teach, a life dedicated to the Lord is a life of peace, but knowing that everyone experiences trials and tribulations and Jeremiah would have many of those days until the Lord gave him rest.

Jeremiah would certainly see the hardships of his nation, but he would not have to worry about his own family if he did not have one!

Sometimes when we think trouble is coming we will think of our family before we think of God and Jeremiah would not have these concerns because, he knew that serious trouble was in the near future for Judah and all her people.

Sometime later we will see that the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy a piece of land because those who had repented of idol worship would return in the 70 years allowed by the Lord and this land would always belong to Israel!

What did the Apostle Paul say to those who would dedicate themselves to the Lord?

1Co_7:1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

Even when Paul said these things by the Holy Spirit it was during a time when Rome was trying to stamp out Christianity and those times were very hard on the family.

1Co 7:26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
1Co 7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.

It would be the same for Jeremiah!

*****Jer 16:3 For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
Jer 16:4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

Certainly, in the times of war it is just real hard to keep your family safe. When I was in Vietnam, we tried our very best to keep the families of South Vietnam safe. I cannot say this was the same for all units, but it was for my unit.

The Vietcong were made up of some volunteers but most of that rebel army was made up of men and children they kidnapped and by threats to other family members cause them to fight many of them no more than ten or twelve years old.

North Vietnam had an army of children also. Even the US was an army of young people because it is young people who fight wars! I turned 21 while I was preparing an ambush for the Vietcong.

When the army of Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the cities of Judah and the city of Jerusalem, many would die for lack of food and water.
These were grievous deaths as friends and family looked on them with no way to make things better except to surrender to the enemy which the Lord told them to do.

There was no one to cry for them and there was no one to bury them and when the army of Babylon left for home with all the spoils of Jerusalem and the Temple, the bodies of the Jews would just lie in the fields to rot away or be eaten by animals.

Many would die in the battle.
Many would die by famine.
Many would die because of sickness from being near dead bodies.

War is just a nasty thing that needs to be avoided!

One of the most terrible things of war is that human beings are no longer seen as human beings but, no better than animals in need of destruction.

Amo 6:14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the LORD the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hemath unto the river of the wilderness.

These people brought this upon themselves because they rejected Jehovah who could have kept them safe from any army!

These things happen when God removes His hand of blessings!

Times worse than these came when Titus destroyed Jerusalem and times even worse than this will happen when the Lord returns to deal with the Jews and set up His kingdom.

All for the same reason for all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the God of peace removes His peace, this world will crumble under the rule of sin!

*****Jer 16:5 For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.

Jeremiah was commanded not to comfort anyone who had lost a member of their family even before war came.

God said these people should be happy because they had received exactly what they asked for.

Sometimes what we ask for will be the beginning of our miseries!

They had pushed God out of their lives and out of their nation and worshipped false gods.

God would deprive these Jews of all His mercy and all His loving kindness.

God said, surely people must be happy when they receive exactly what they ask for!

We wonder why Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet, it is easy to see why!

Some would even begin to wonder even before these things came upon them because they would remember what Jehovah had said to their forefathers!

Deu 31:17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

The Lord knows the ending and the beginning, and He repeatedly told these Jews what he would do because He knew what they would do.

Those that do not know the Lord will not understand that Jehovah had to do these things to remove the sin of Israel and he will do much to remove the sin in our world.

Isa 27:9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
Isa 27:10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.
Isa 27:11 When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favour.

We wonder what will happen to America, maybe we should just look at Israel during the time they had left their first love! Our God never changes!

What else is very true? God is no respecter of persons!

*****Jer 16:6 Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:
Jer 16:7 Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

We must clearly understand that sometimes it may seem very hard to be a Christian, but the Lord said we are to take our stand on the Word of God, even if we are the only one standing!

We can just imagine as some of these who would die were most certainly part of Jeremiah’s own family.

If we remember the time Elijah had defended the Lord against pagan priests, cutting themselves and removing their hair was a part of pagan rituals when attempting to get the attention of false gods.

Those that know the Lord need only to obey the Lord and pray and the Lord will hear every word of that prayer!

The rich would die with the poor because in the end, we are all poor without Jesus Christ! When we stand on the Word of God we are building treasures in Heaven.

We can be sure that none of these false priests would dare to show up to celebrate the death of any believer because all of them were dying also, their gods of no use to them.

Amo 8:10 And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
Amo 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Jeremiah was forbidden to attend funerals, mourn for the dead or show sympathy to any of those who would die, even his own family.

All those of the nation of Judah had to realize that God had moved His hand of protection.
God had withdrawn His Mercy.
God had withdrawn His Love.
God had withdrawn His peace.
God had withdrawn His comfort because He had been rejected.

It was a custom among the Jews, when they had any friend, that had lost his relations, to send them some meat (for among the Hebrews all things they ate were called bread) and then to go and sup with them and speak comfortably to them. They would also send wine, so they could drink away their sorrows; this is called, The cup of consolation.

Jeremiah was not only forbidden to go into the houses of mourning, he was also forbidden to the times of feasting!

*****Jer 16:8 Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.
Jer 16:9 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

Jeremiah could not participate in festive occasions!

The Lord has said that there may be pleasure in sin for a short period of time, but that time of joy would turn to a time of sorrow.

Jeremiah was in his person to reflect the “Judgment of God”!

We can see that God used Jeremiah to represent a complete loss of fellowship with our Creator.

These people desperately needed to repent, or they had better prepare to meet the God they had rejected.

The Lord does not ask us to live righteously, He demands that we live righteously!

As Christians we are never to mix and mingle with this lost world.

We are never to attend worldly events where sin has become a lifestyle!

Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Eph 5:12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

We must remember God had been talking to Jeremiah while he was still in the womb of his mother.

Jeremiah had to not only speak the words God had given to him but, he was also to live as a picture of God’s coming judgment!

The truth is, when the Lord is not the central part of our lives, then we will see the things around us change for the worse.

When we become self-righteous we will ask, why has the Lord pronounced all this evil toward us?
We will ask, what evil have we done?
We will ask what is our sin or what is our iniquity?

We will ask these things because we have become fools who have rejected our only means of righteousness!

We will never reach a point in our lives where we are righteous enough to get into Heaven.

Our Father in Heaven can only see the righteousness of His Dear Son.

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1Co 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Jesus said it very plainly:

Joh_15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: “for without me ye can do nothing”.

We are nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ and we cannot be nothing without the Lord Jesus Christ!

It was the same with these Jews, they could be nothing without Jehovah!

We live in a nation today that is rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, and many will be asking these same questions soon because God never changes His ways and until the end of the Church Age finally comes, “Repentance” will still be the key to stopping the judgment of God!

What is the truth?

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

So how will the Lord answer all these questions?

*****Jer 16:11 Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;
Jer 16:12 And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:

This is not only the way of the world today but, is the way of our own nation today. Not many are listening to what God is saying.

Many because they are fooled by that word “God”.

Many reject God but many who believe in an ultimate Creator, just do not know who He is!

The absolute truth is because our world exists then there must be a Creator.

Without any argument our Creator explains who He is in the Scriptures.

Because our world, some say cosmos exist in order and in a useful arrangement then, we know we have a Creator of order and arrangement.

Without a doubt we can see that our Creator is loaded with intelligence and purpose and His vast creation is in harmony with itself.

Psa 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Psa 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psa 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
Psa 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

All talk of accident and evolution are just a foolish denial of the truth.

Our creation had its beginning because Elohim, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, has a purpose for His creation!

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

One day after the Church, all the Born-Again Christians have been removed from this world and reside in the Glory World, this world will ask these same questions, why has God abandoned them when the truth is they have rejected the truth of Jehovah God, The Lord Jesus Christ!

My prayer is, that when I am gone and the many more of my age, I hope that there will still be many who follow in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What was Jeremiah’s message?

These people of Judah had not only rejected Jehovah, they had done even more evil than their forefathers!

Anything or any object or any way of life we put in place of our Heavenly Father becomes an idol of worship, Apostasy!

Those who teach “to follow your own heart” are foolish teachers.

The heart that has not been given to the Lord Jesus Christ is an evil heart that is following its own path which is evil!

What was God’s judgment on this day?

*****Jer 16:13 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.

We should remember Pharaoh of Egypt how he had hardened his heart against Jehovah well these people were doing the same thing, hardening their heart against the one who had brought them out of Pharaoh’s bondage.

The days of our life are good or bad depending on the choices we make!

We should clearly understand God will honor the decisions we make right or wrong.

God will never force Himself on anyone!

God has given us His Word delivered to us by the Holy Ghost (Spirit) and it is our choice to believe or not to believe.

All the good things in the Word of God are true!

All the things God has judged as evil, then He will do as He says, and all these words are also true!

God never changes. God is the same God today as the God that created our world just over 6000 years ago!

The Jews of Judah would be cast out of the land they had lived on since the time of Joshua.

Remember “Joshua” in the Greek is “Jesus”!

To be in a favorable relationship with our Lord is to repent and obey all the Word of God! It’s just that simple!

Job 4:6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
Job 4:7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
Job 4:9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

God is a God of promises and God never breaks a promise!

Amen

Let’s Pray!

Sin Enslaves Us

/ Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

The Sin That Brought Destruction

Jeremiah 13: 1-15

What is pride? Pride is said to be inordinate and unreasonable self-esteem, attended with insolence and rude treatment of others.

Pride then is sin because we are to love others as we love ourselves and pride is looking down on others making yourself to be better and greater than them.

Pride is the first sin that occurred because it was Lucifer who committed the first sin and not Adam! Adam committed the second recorded sin

Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

Another thing we should consider in this lesson is , what is the Jewish girdle in the day of Jeremiah?

In the days of Jeremiah, the people of Judah wore loose fitting robes and much like we use a belt, the girdle would keep the robe close to the body.

It is our own “faith” that serves as our girdle to keep us close to God!

Verse 1

*****Jer 13:1 Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
Jer 13:2 So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.

The linen girdle would be those that were appointed for the priests to wear.

Most others would wear a girdle of wool with the military wearing a girdle of leather.

We know that John the Baptist wore a girdle of leather because he symbolized a soldier in God’s Army!

Jeremiah was first instructed to get a new linen girdle and wear it for some time without washing it. In fact, Jeremiah was to wear this linen girdle long enough for the people to notice that he had not washed it and it became filthy.

God used all His prophets to teach His people in many ways.

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

It will be obvious before we finish this passage that this girdle will symbolize the character of the people of Judah during this age of Jeremiah.

We must know by now that God offers us the “free will” to choose based on the information that we have. By choosing idols instead of the truth of God they had buried themselves in the ways of a foreign land, so the Lord would soon place them under the control an evil nation.

They had become so corrupted that they were good for nothing!

It is these lessons that we must understand, these are great examples of the way God deals with the sin of a nation that claims to obey the Lord, such as we say we do here in America.

*****Jer 13:3 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
Jer 13:4 Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

First, God has made all those who call upon His name to be very near to Him.

Many debate the mention of the River Euphrates here but we know that it was Babylon who captured Judah, so we have no need to question the Word of God, even though this river was at least 2500 miles from Judah!

Jeremiah was used of God and Nebuchadnezzar was used of God and this King of Babylon understood these things.

Jer 39:11 Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,
Jer 39:12 Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

The Euphrates River represented the power of the nations North of the land God gave to Israel, just as the River Nile represented the power of Egypt.

We could say that the Prophet Isaiah also prophesied of this time of Judah.

Isa 8:7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:
Isa 8:8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

The one thing we should understand is, it did not matter what Judah was doing, Jeremiah was to trust and obey the Lord!

We must understand, no matter what is happening in our world, we are to obey the Word of God at all times. Jehovah was not suggesting for Jeremiah to do these things. Jeremiah understood these words to be the commands of God!

The Word of God is not a book of suggestions as many believe. It is a Book of the Commands of God!

*****Jer 13:5 So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
Jer 13:6 And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.

We should understand that the Jews took great pride in their religious heritage but at this point in history, they had become useless to Jehovah!

The downfall of Judah had not happened over night because this is not the way Satan works. Satan will draw you away from the Lord one little step at a time until he has you within his grasp.

Even today we know that Satan cannot take us out of the hands of the Lord, but he can sure ruin a good testimony!

The nation of Judah had become worthless to the Lord. The Lord expects us all to be witnesses of the Gospel and Judah was also to be a witness for the truth of God, but they had rejected that truth again at this time.

Without this nation repenting of their wrong, they had bound the hands of God to come to their defense because the Lord cannot defend evil nor cause a blemish to His Sinless Name!

We cannot live in any manner we want to and expect the Lord to come to our defense, it simply will not happen!

When we bind the hands of God to do good, then we must realize that God must chastise us to get us back on track!

We must never stray from the truth of God, to become of no more use than a rotten belt which can no longer do what it was intended to do!

What lesson did Jeremiah learn, and Judah would soon learn?

*****Jer 13:7 Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

We must understand that when we invite the Lord Jesus Christ into our heart and He then fills us with His Holy Spirit, so we can worship Him in Spirit and in truth but then He gives us all a job to do.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When we can no longer do that job because of our sin, we have become marred and useless in this work God has given us to do!

It had to be humiliating to Judah when Jeremiah preached this lesson comparing Judah to a rotten girdle!

*****Jer 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 13:9 Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.

1) When we accept the Lord Jesus into our heart then we have mended that broken relationship caused by the sin of Adam.
We must realize that the sin of Eve came from a lack of knowledge, but Adam’s sin was intentional, and he had broken his relationship with the Lord God Jehovah. God will wear His children as a girdle but also as a badge to show the world how proud He is of His children.

2) Jeremiah wore a linen girdle which meant that he was a priest who was bound to God. As Christians we are also to be priests.

1Pe_2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

3) Just as those in the day of Jeremiah would gird up their loins so they could work, then we are to gird up the loins of our mind to be of use to our Master.

1Pe_1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

4) Again, the girdle of a priest was worn as an ornament or a badge and we are to wear the badge of Christ, unashamedly!

Rom_13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Gal_3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

We must never be ashamed of the Lord and we must never claim the Lord and then intentionally sin!

*****Jer 13:10 This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.

These Jews of Judah had now become firmly attached to man-made idols and they stubbornly refused to admit that they were wrong.

To the Lord they had become worthless in the work of the Lord and the Lord said that they were an evil people.

The Scriptures teach us that there is a sin unto death and I believe that this sin can become real when we destroy our fellowship with the Living God, Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
Heb 12:26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

When we have refused to have fellowship with the True God of all Creation, we have placed ourselves on treacherous ground from which we will never recover!

Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
Eph 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Eph 4:20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

These Jews had begun to walk as the Gentiles walked, in the vanity of their mind.

The Lord explains these things very well in verse 11.

*****Jer 13:11 For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

When we reject the Lord Jesus Christ, as these Jews have rejected Jehovah(both are one and the same) they had destroyed their only reason for living.

God had preserved this nation of Israel to preserve and bring the Word of God into the future and this would certainly happen, but these people were not a part of this very important job!

Nothing we do can hinder the work of God! When we reject Him we either lose rewards that we could have had, or we will spend eternity in a Burning Hell. Yes, Hell does exist!

Only a righteous life can bring triumph over the trials and temptations of this world! Just so we know the truth, we have no righteousness ourselves we live or die by having the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Isa 11:4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

Next, we see that word therefore.

*****Jer 13:12 Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
Jer 13:13 Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.

To understand this passage, we must understand from verses 1-11 that the people of Judah had become worthless to the Lord.

Now a wineskin has only one purpose and can be used only one time. Their purpose was to be filled with wine (or grape juice)!

God had forbidden drunkenness for the children of Israel and they knew this thing.

Isa 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
Isa 5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

These children of Judah were not only represented by that worthless linen girdle, but they were also represented by these wineskins which were to be filled with the abominations of this world that were forbidden for the Jews and for the Christians.

We are to be filled with the righteousness of the Lord and nothing from this world!

1Jn_2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

These are the things that had filled the children of Judah. These are the things that fill every sinner!

Jas_1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

This is the formula for becoming worthless in the army of God, in fact, a traitor and deserter!

How did Christ Jesus put it?

Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

These things will always be true in this world!

What is the truth of what the Lord is saying?

*****Jer 13:14 And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
Jer 13:15 Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.

The most important thing we can do as Christians is to pay attention to what the Lord is saying and then obey Him!

We already understand that the Lord does not ever change. The Lord will be just as true in His wrath as He is in His Mercy!

It is the will of God that everyone be saved but He promises His wrath to those who reject His love!

We live in a world where it seems that love and natural affection have disappeared, but the Lord has and endless supply of Love, mercy, and Grace and these are the things that we better hear.

The Word of God is very clear, we are to be filled with the God the Holy Spirit who will lead us to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Sin enslaves the flesh just as all alcoholic beverages do, along with all drugs. Those who are slaves to these abominations of this world, will never know just how wonderful it is to be in the family of God!

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Come to Jesus Christ who has paid the price of our freedom!

Without Jesus Christ we are just stumbling around in this dark world!

Amen

The Destruction of Judah

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

The Destruction of Judah

Book of Jeremiah Chapter 7

There is a phrase in our lesson manual that I really liked. One sign of “spiritual sickness” is that we keep committing the same sins over and over at the same time expecting a different outcome. What is the logic in doing such things!

God has made sure we have the Books of the Old Testament, so we can see the examples of what sins were done in the past with Israel and the reactions God had to those things, so we can know what God will do today because Jehovah God never changes.

If we cannot learn from all these examples, then what does that say about our “faith”?

God begins in a gentle fashion trying to remind us of our disobedience, but God will use harsher methods until we learn from our mistakes.

If we say we have “faith” in the Lord, then how can we believe the lies of this world?

We should clearly understand a Spiritual change will always have a physical result!

What we have seen with our own eyes is that when this world makes idols as God then we will see what we see today, immoral societies and this cannot be denied.

We must be clear as we witness to those who are lost. Real change can only happen from the inside out and not from outside in!

As we witness we offer, by the Word of God, an opportunity to make a choice. God will always accept the decisions we make. God offers eternal life! False gods offer eternal death and we must choose between these two. Does not seem to be a hard choice, does it?

People perish simply because they make the wrong choices!

We should also understand the true meaning of a hypocrite. Hypocrites are people who pretend to be something they are not. Something like actors.

We absolutely cannot be pretenders and say we love the Lord!

*****Jer 7:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer 7:2 Stand in the gate of the LORD’S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

Jeremiah was a gentle man and we know that he cried a lot for his nation, but we see that Jeremiah was to be bold when he preached the Word of God! We are to do the same when we witness for the Lord, but the Pastor is to “preach” the Word of God!

Jeremiah was preaching to hypocrites and hypocrites already know what they are, and they need to understand who God is!

It was very important that these Jews understood what was going on in their lives but just as important, what was going on in the world.

As mighty as the Assyrians were who destroyed the Northern Tribes, they had just fell to the Babylonians who were an evil and wicked people.

It was a time when good King Josiah would find his death, getting involved in a war that he did not have to.

Josiah was replaced as Jehoahaz took his throne but even he was replaced 90 days later by Jehoiakim who was another of the evil rulers and he would only rule eleven years.

The threat of Babylon was always present, and Judah would never be able to defend themselves without the Lord God Jehovah, who had already delivered them so many times when they would repent of their evilness.

More important than all these things, attending a worship service in the House of God is useless without repentance and then obedience!

The truth of salvation is that those who can please God will be like God (Christlike)!

When we are not Christlike (Christian) we can never receive the blessings of God.

This is the message the Jeremiah was to preach as he stood in the gates at the entrance of the Temple in Jerusalem.

These people had no problem in attending the worship service at the Temple. Remember they were required by Moses’s Law to attend at least 3 times each year in the time of the festivals.

Their problem was that their hearts were not settled on the Lord and as soon as they left for home they would go back to their evil ways and their false gods. (Sounds a whole lot like happens today by many who attend church but are not sincere)

Eventually some false gods were moved into the Temple, which defiled the House of God!

It is an abomination to defile the House of the Lord!

These people are like those today. They are trusting that God will accept, bless, and protect them because they are faithful in their worship, but their worship extended to false gods and false doctrine.

The Lord will have no part of such a thing. There are those today that say there is more than one way to get to Heaven, but the Lord says they are all liars.

What is the truth?

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Those that believe differently are calling God a liar!

This is the same theme that Jeremiah preached in his day. There is only one who deserves our worship and it is Jehovah.

God will never accept our worship until there has been a repentance!!!!!!

In fact, for the Jews they had to repent their sin before Jehovah would allow them to continue living in the Promised Land!!!!!

They would soon realize just how important that this truth really was.

We may have the greatest church in the world and I believe we do, but this church cannot save us.

We may have the greatest preacher in the world and I believe we do, but Preacher Sam cannot save us.

He can only lead us to the one who can, Jesus Christ!

God the Holy Spirit may visit our Church, but He will never stay, because no building can house God!

Also, the Lord Jesus Christ may knock on the doors of every Church but until He is allowed to come in, that Church is not a house of God!

What was Jeremiah’s message?

*****Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

To amend our ways is another word for “repent” because we do not have to power to do anything ourselves!

Joh_15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: “for without me ye can do nothing”.

Every house of God in our entire nation can be full on Sunday and our nation would not be blessed unless we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior!

We should understand that Jeremiah was not preaching that these people could dwell in the Temple, he was preaching that God was not going to allow them to dwell on the land that He had given them unless they repented of their evil and allowed God to dwell in their heart.

This does not ever mean that God would give this land to others. God will never give this land to others because of the promise He made to Abraham!

Gen 15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Gen 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
Gen 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

God will keep every covenant He has ever made, and He will also never break a promise that He has ever made!

What went wrong in the Temple of God? The priests were not preaching the truth of God!

*****Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.

Those priests were preaching that security is in the Temple, we would say the Church.

We simply cannot trust in religious principles, we must trust in the One who gave us “His” principles, Jehovah!

We must also understand it is each Saint of God who is a Temple of God who gather together to worship that form the Church.

Our job in the church is to be discipled and/or to disciple all others, and to worship the God of truth, whose name is Jehovah!

In fact, we are to worship our Savior “in Spirit and in Truth” because He does not like it in any other fashion!

Everyone is welcome to gather but “in Spirit and in Truth” means though the lost are welcomed, they should not take part in certain parts of the worship, such as Communion until they to have a personal relationship with the Lord.

1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

Baptism is only for those who have invited the Lord into their heart and be “Born Again”, then comes Baptism!

Do we come without any preparation of heart? Are we soon weary of the service?

Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

We must know that everyone is welcomed into the church building who are seeking God and in the true Church you can find Him, not because He is present in the building, but He is present in the hearts of so many of those who are also there and there is a “preacher”.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Rom 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

A heart that is prepared is a heart open to accepting the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:6 If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt:
Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

Christianity has to do with being like Christ in His character and in His conduct!
Christianity is that which binds us to our Savior.
Christianity is holding onto to the robe of Christ and refusing to let go.
Christianity is not in emotion but is in knowledge, the knowledge of our Creator.

Jesus says it plainly:

Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh_15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

The first step in becoming a Christian is having the right view of sin!

Sin is like a cancer that you will want to get rid of but only the Lord can wash you clean.

Psa_51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Joh_13:8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.

We must come out from the world and live a separated life from those still in the world.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

When we are like Jesus Christ we will then hate sin without hating the sinner!
We will realize our battle is not with other humans, lost or saved, our battle is with principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness in this world we live in now!

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The nation of Judah had left their first love and now, they oppressed the weak, they shed the blood of the innocent, and they were worshipping idols.

We simply cannot allow anything to come between us and our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what it is!

Had these Jews listened to the words of Jeremiah and applied them to their lives they would never have been removed from their land no matter how powerful Babylon was at this time.

What did they do? They ignored the Word of God given to Jeremiah and they continued to follow in the ways of sin by listening to false words.

We must understand that our salvation, our peace, and our security, come from a personal relationship with the Lord and not in some building or the land that we dwell in.

Neither was this true for these Jews and the Temple of God and the land promised to Abraham!

It is so easy to fall into this trap because lies can sometimes make you think you are about to win the lottery.

*****Jer 7:8 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

What is the truth of the Scriptures?

Psa 2:10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psa 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

We live in a world that has forgotten how to be wise.

We live in a world where almost every nation is in competition with every other nation, when they should be helping one another!

Then the Lord just ask them point blank.

*****Jer 7:9 Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;
Jer 7:10 And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
Jer 7:11 Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.

We are fools to think that God operates by some universal law made up of how we feel about Him!

God does as He pleases with everything that He says or that He does. God does not make up new laws as time goes by.

God does just as He has written it down for us. Every Word is a Word of Truth!

1) We cannot trust anyone who goes against the Word of God!
2) We certainly cannot trust anyone who rejects the Word of God!
3) We must be aware that anything we place between ourselves and the One True God, has become an idol!

When a so-called Christian allows himself or herself to do any of these things listed in this passage, they have rebelled against God’s Commandments the most critical one being “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”.

When we do these things, we have rejected our God who is also our Creator!

If you really want to get on the wrong side of God, then do all these things and then gather in the house of God saying you are what you “aint”!

We are not delivered from sin, to just sin at our will!

It is when we have left the building we call Church, or Temple, or by any other name, that we enter into our mission field to serve the Lord and not to serve sin!

If you are a Christian, then you need to look into your personal mirror every day to see for yourself if you are what you say you are.

When we make the house of God into a den of robbers we have defiled our place of worship!

God always has His eyes on His children not to see if we are doing wrong but to see if we deserve His blessings.

God’s House is not a sanctuary for robbers and murderers!

To be saved by the “Grace” of God is not so we can have a license to sin!

The house of God is not the place to seek impunity for our abominations, it is the House where we are to seek to gather so we can worship God in Spirit and Truth because this is the way we can please Him in our worship!

If we have served our abominations, then we need to get on our knees and beg forgiveness from the Lord and then do our best to not sin again.

God knows we are not perfect, but He also knows what we are capable of and He intends for us all to be fishers of men!

Isa 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Going to Church to worship does us no good at all if we are not living for God the rest of the time.

God will not accept our worship if we are living in sin and you cannot get into Heaven without a good relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can never say that God has not warned us of those who would teach lies for the truth!

Then the Lord says, if you think the Temple, the House of God is more important to you than truth of God then just go down to Shiloh.

*****Jer 7:12 But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.

When Joshua brought the children of Israel into the promised land, the Tabernacle was set up in Shiloh.

Jos 18:1 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

In the time of Eli, the High Priest, God gave the Ark that was kept at Shiloh to the Philistines and it was not recovered until David brought it to Jerusalem.

We should remember the Ark contained the broken tablets of Moses to remind them it was best to honor the 10 Commandments.

1Sa 4:10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
1Sa 4:11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

Psa 78:58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
Psa 78:59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
Psa 78:60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
Psa 78:61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy’s hand.
Psa 78:62 He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.
Psa 78:63 The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.
Psa 78:64 Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

We should be able to see that God’s favor is not in some building or any place of worship.

In fact, God’s favor is not tied down to any location at this time.

We should understand that God will not spare His wrath to those that rebel against His Words!

What are we to do in the House of the Lord?

Deu 12:11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:
Deu 12:12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

Shiloh became a mass of shapeless ruins!

And what did the Lord say?

*****Jer 7:13 And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Jer 7:14 Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

God said He would do the same thing to the Temple that King Solomon built by the plans of King David which the Lord said Himself was worldly, which means there is no need for the beauty and worldly objects in any place of worship.

We know that King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple in the days of Jeremiah.

Again, we see that we are undeserving of the “Grace of God” and God’s has limits to His mercy.

We know that the Lord Jesus said where two or three gathered in His name He would also be there, and this is the beginnings of the Church.

The place of this gathering is not important but the fact that we are to gather together is important.

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We are to gather more often and not less often as we can see the day of the Lord approaching!

Worship without true repentance and then obedience will be empty, useless, and worthless in the eyes of the Lord.

God would also remove Judah from of the Promised Land.

*****Jer 7:15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.
Jer 7:16 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.

Once God has decided what He is going to do with a certain group of people, it is useless to pray for them.

These Jews were unwilling to repent and to obey the Lord, so it would do no good for Jeremiah to pray for their forgiveness.

There are times when it becomes useless to pray for certain people but now is not the time for the church to stop praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ and also for the lost.

God has told us to continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, so it is not time to stop preaching for the Children of the Nation of Israel.

There will come the time when those who are evil are beyond repentance, but God has not told us to do so yet!

These are the type of things that would make Jeremiah cry and maybe we should do the same for those who refuse to repent, especially those on our own family!

When God says to quit praying for certain people, He will also pull back the Holy Spirit from the convicting work that He does.

Gen_6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,

Today all those who have itchy ears and control the preaching of the Pastor should take note, because their prayers will become useless. There will be no benefit come from their prayers.

When you refuse to hear the truth of God then God will refuse to hear from you, it just that simple!

Jeremiah knew God always has remnant who remain solid in the Word of God, and he could pray for those!

The real truth is when the Lord commands His servant not to pray for sinners and He ceases to correct them, then we can be sure the wrath of God is very close!

Eze 16:42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

Remember the wages of sin is death and these who refuse to repent are already sentenced to death and they will get nothing else from the Lord but will join the false trio in the burning lake of fire!

The Lord will simply say ” I never knew you”.

God is not angry with those who are lost He has already passed His judgment.

God will always be angry with those who sin and claim to know the Lord in a personal way.

The Lord will save all those who call upon His name, but the Lord will reject all those who refuse to call upon His name again it is just that simple!

Amen

Let’s Pray!