Jeremiah 30 and 31

Audio Link: https://whengogcomes.com/audio/14-jeremiah-30-and-31-wgc.mp3

Jeremiah had to watch Israel destroy herself, after warning them that judgment was coming. Yet, even in the midst of great suffering and death, there was still a note of hope. You and I will need some of that hope as we warn our own churches that judgment is coming. We’ll see a lot of terrible things happen. Our churches have corrupted themselves, and we must warn them to repent and turn back to God - even though they aren’t listening. Only a few are paying attention, and doom is on its way.

Yet, there will be those Christians who survive this judgment and purification. The process will be hard. It always is. But, the result will be a Body of Christ that is ready to survive the deception and persecution of the Antichrist.

In Jeremiah 30 and 31 we will see:

The Children of Jacob return to the Land of Israel

Jacob's Trouble is not the Great Tribulation

Israel will be purified

The enemies of the Jews will be destroyed

Jerusalem will be rebuilt from its ruins

Only in the Last Days will we understand what Jeremiah was talking about

Israel will have a new covenant that they will follow

And, just as we have seen previously, these two chapters are actually a single vision. The chapter break between them is completely artificial.

Jeremiah 30 – God Brings Israel Back

As depressing as life was for Jeremiah, he was not left without a hopeful message from God. He shares it with us at the beginning of chapter 30.

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”

– Jeremiah 30:1-3 (NKJV)

These opening verses firmly connect Jeremiah with what we talked about in Ezekiel, Zechariah and Isaiah. And, this chapter perfectly demonstrates what we’ve already talked about. And, it confirms the terrible conditions that surround the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Can we point to any other moment in history where God caused Israel to possess the land?

No.

At no time after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, did this prophecy even come close to being fulfilled. After the Babylonian captivity some Israelis did return, but only some. Even during the brief period under the Hasmonean Kings (which were NOT of the line of King David) Israel never had full sovereignty in the land. During the height of the Hasmonean dynasty, the Jews were only able to control the Judean hills. And, shortly thereafter, they descended into a pathetic and foolish civil war over who should be the next king, giving Rome the ability to insert herself into the conflict and take over.

Israel Truly Returned In 1967 – Not 1948

Even 1948 cannot be considered The Return. After the War of Independence finally came to an end in May of 1949, the Jews only controlled a part of the Land of Israel, and did not even have Jerusalem. To see Israel in full control, we need to fast forward to June 7th, 1967, when Jerusalem was captured by the 55th Paratroop Brigade during the ‘Six Day War’. Only with the taking of Jerusalem along with the territories of Judea, Samaria and the Golan, could Israel be considered to have ‘Returned’.

Did The Last Days Begin In 1967?

This capture of Jerusalem by the Jewish people was indicated by Jesus as part of the Last Days – or, at least the end of the period of time given to the Gentiles. We were given two thousand years, and that time is over.

Here are those words of Jesus:

And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

– Luke 21:24 (NKJV)

Jesus said that Jerusalem would be controlled and abused by non-Jews until the time of the Gentiles is over. And, having been a resident of Jerusalem for 15 years, I can tell you with complete certainty that the Jews firmly rule over every square inch of Jerusalem.

So, does this mean that the time of the Gentiles has been fulfilled?

It certainly looks like it to me - for more than just that reason.

Another question is whether this marks the beginning of the Last Days. My instinct is to say that the Last Days began then, but there has not been a lot of activity that seemed very ‘Last Days-ish’. It’s almost as if there was a 50 year pause before letting all the other events take place.

Was there a pause?

Are we about to see a wave of End Times events?

Here’s the verse at the heart of this question:

So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.

– Luke 21:31-32 (NKJV)

When Jesus said ‘these things’, He appeared to be talking about a list of events starting with Jerusalem, continuing with Ezekiel’s Fire and the Great Tribulation and ending with the Second Coming of Jesus. That’s what ‘these things’ are - as described by Jesus in Luke 21:25-28.

And the generation that will not pass away indicates to us that:

The generation that sees these events begin, will not die out until the Last Days are finished.

Unfortunately, the generation that saw 1967 is getting pretty old. I was alive when it happened, and I’m feeling my age.

Is it any wonder that events appear to be accelerating?

Having said that, I am perfectly willing to be wrong about when the Last Days begin, or even my interpretation of Luke 21:24. In fact, I hope that I am. Really.

After having examined the horrors that we will need to go through to see the finish of these Last Days, I now suffer from a small desire to not see them myself. I do not want to see the death and destruction that will come when Ezekiel’s Fire arrives. Nor do I want to see the pain, suffering and violence of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. So, when I say that the capture of Jerusalem in 1967 marks the beginning of the events of the Last Days…

…I want to be wrong.

I want there to be an even longer pause. I want some other event to mark the beginning of the Last Days. However, a close look at modern history shows us that the events following The Six Day War, were also turning points for our own civilization. So, the idea that the Last Days began with the completion of the ‘times of the Gentiles’ more than 50 years ago, on June 7th, 1967, makes way too much sense.

Expect events to move quickly.

Jacob’s Trouble

Jeremiah then reaffirms what the other prophets say about the horrendous difficulty that we will all face. It’s in the next few verses of chapter 30:

4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

5 “For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,
Of fear, and not of peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
Whether a man is ever in labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins
Like a woman in labor,
And all faces turned pale?
7 Alas! For that day is great,
So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

– Jeremiah 30:4-7 (KJV)

Far too many believe that ‘Jacob’s Trouble’ is The Great Tribulation. And, they say that because of how difficult that day will be. But, we’ve already established that the Coming of Gog, Ezekiel’s Fire and the Return of Jacob must happen before the Great Tribulation. They will be horrific times that will shake the world.

But, they will NOT be the Great Tribulation.

And, just to show how the process of rewriting this book has forced me to reexamine and fix my own errors, I discovered that I had written this sentence in a previous version of this chapter:

“But, when you try to fit it into the events prophesied in the Book of Revelation… it doesn’t seem to fit anywhere.”

I’m afraid that this was a deeply flawed statement - not my first nor my last. You can find where I now believe these events fit in the Book of Revelation, in this chapter:

The Seven Seals Of Revelation

I hate being wrong with a passion. But, I want to be wrong about Seal Six. I really do. Prove me wrong on the Seven Seals, and you will have my undying gratitude.

A Closer Look At Jacob’s Trouble

Now, let’s remind ourselves of how bad Jacob’s Trouble will be:

8 And it shall come to pass in all the land,”
Says the Lord,
“That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die,
But one-third shall be left in it:
9 I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested…

– Zechariah 13:8-9a (NKJV)

THAT will be terrifying and unimaginable. I would do anything to stop it. However, I left out the second half of verse nine from the above passage. That ‘second half’ indicates that something wonderful will happen as a result of all that death and suffering:

…They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ”

– Zechariah 13:9b (NKJV)

Again, this is a firm and unshakeable connection between Jeremiah 30 and the prophesied return of Israel in Zechariah. You cannot separate them – which means that Jacob’s Trouble CANNOT be the Great Tribulation.

The question is whether Christians around the world will wake up to what is coming. If they don’t , they will suffer greatly – along with the rest of the world. As we have said before, this will be a level of death and destruction that is almost unimaginable. And, I do not wish for any brother or sister to go through that. But, this is the will of God, and I trust Him. God knows what He is doing.

You can get more of the details of this civilization killing disaster, here:

Ezekiel’s Fire
https://ezekielsfire.com/

That event will shake our civilization to her knees. Nothing will be the same afterwards. Nothing.

They Will Serve Jesus Christ

Let’s continue with the next two verses of Jeremiah 30:

8 ‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
‘That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them.
9 But they shall serve the Lord their God,
And David their king,
Whom I will raise up for them.

– Jeremiah 30:8-9 (NKJV)

Those two verses coincide exactly with the second half of Zechariah 13:9. The Jews will finally, after two thousand years of rebellion, serve Yehovah. They will no longer be in resistance to God. They will also serve the One True Heir to the Throne of David – Jesus Christ. How awesome and wonderful it is that Jesus and Yehovah are the same person.

If you were surprised by the idea that Jesus and Yehovah are the same, do a careful search of the Old Testament. Put all the descriptions together of the pre-incarnate Christ. There is no question whatsoever that Jesus is Yehovah.

Israel Will Be Saved From Afar

Let’s continue with the next verse:

‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord,
‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar,
And your seed from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,
And no one shall make him afraid.

– Jeremiah 30:10 (NKJV)

Wait. We just saw terrible tragedy and a level of destruction so vast that it’s hard to imagine. Two thirds of those in Israel are killed. Every building of any size around the world is knocked down. Yet, God says this:

Do not fear.

Do not be dismayed.

We’ll understand what God means after it happens, but until that moment, we only have speculation. One possible reason is that all of Israel’s enemies are destroyed. ALL. OF. THEM. Without a single survivor. The other thought that I have is that those who perish in this catastrophe were never going to accept God, anyway. Zechariah speaks of purification in chapter 13, and eliminating all who would oppose God… well …that would do the job.

Remember that this is not the first time that God has purified Israel. Read the Book of Exodus, where God removed the rebels over the course of 40 years in the desert of Sinai, after Israel left Egypt. So, it should not surprise us that the Lord would do this again.

The End Of Nations

So, God will use Ezekiel’s Fire to destroy what is left of Israel’s enemies. In fact, the next verse offers confirmation of that – in addition to a reference to judgment:

For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you;
Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,
Yet I will not make a complete end of you.
But I will correct you in justice,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

– Jeremiah 30:11 (NKJV)

Unfortunately, the NKJV makes the same mistake that the KJV makes. That word ‘though’ is actually ‘because’ – or sometimes ‘for’. It is NOT ‘Though’. ‘Though’ indicates possibility, when the reality is that God WILL make a full end of all the nations.

The word that we are talking about is כי (pronounced ‘kee’). If someone in Israel asks you why you did something, the first word that you would use is ‘kee’ – ‘because’. However, using the word ‘because’ in this verse would be bad English grammar. So, the word ‘for’ is probably a more accurate usage, and that’s how the American Standard Version translates ‘kee’:

…for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee

The point is, that everywhere that the Jews have been scattered to…

…will be destroyed.

Now, does it mean that God kills off everyone living in the nations that persecuted the Jews?

Not exactly. Lots of people will die, especially in large cities and towns. Europe, North America and Central Asia will be shattered. And, the quickest to die will be those who are most dependent upon technology to survive. So, in that sense, yes… nations will die. But, notice what the Bible speaks of, about the Ten Kings that precede the Antichrist.

Those Ten Kings must rise BEFORE the Antichrist, and they are direct evidence that the political systems of today will have been destroyed. As things stand, right now, there is no way for Ten Kings Without A Kingdom to rise and rule the world. It would take massive, global devastation for those Ten Kings to be granted their power.

It will be Ezekiel’s Fire that destroys the current set of nations that rule the world, so that – eventually – the Ten Kings will rise.

I know that many people speak of the rise of globalism and a vast web of hidden connections being made throughout the world, and there is truth to that idea. But, I've spent too long at the center of geopolitics - Jerusalem - to not see the local motivations that govern international decisions. Tip O'Neill made famous the proverb 'All politics is local', but it's fame comes from its truth. But, let's continue looking at Jeremiah 30.

The Antisemites Devoured

I am going to skip the next four verses (12 through 15), but I invite you to read them for yourself in your own Bible. They talk about God’s affliction of Israel for her sins. But, the Gentiles that God used to punish Israel sinned greatly in their hatred of the Jews. So, God says that He will do this to them:

16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a prey.
17 For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion;
No one seeks her.” ’

– Jeremiah 30:16-17 (NKJV)

Those two verses tell us that:

Everyone who devoured the Jews will be devoured

All the adversaries of the Jews will go into captivity

Those who plundered the Jews will be plundered

Those who preyed upon the Jews will be preyed upon

And, for those of you who have claimed that Jerusalem is nothing, and of no importance…

The Christians who ignored Israel and the Jews will be ashamed and stand condemned by God.

And yes, there are prominent Bible teachers who preach against Zion – Jerusalem. One of those ‘prominent’ men wrote to me with supreme arrogance to tell me that God no longer cares about Jerusalem and the Children of Jacob. Others have made it clear in their public pronouncements.

As I look out over the world, these are the places that have done terrible harm to the Jewish people:

All of Europe – East and West

The United States

Russia

Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East

The exceptions to the above are:

Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

For those of you who are shocked at my inclusion of the US, please let me point out that America allied herself with Hitler in his rise to power - even in the extermination of the Jews. It was IBM that knowingly helped Hitler track the Jews. It was Franklin Roosevelt that closed the doors to the Jewish people trying to flee Nazi Germany. Ford supplied Hitler with trucks and engines. Rockefeller's Standard Oil supplied Hitler with a crucial fuel additive - tetraethyl lead. Americans provided almost everything Hitler needed to fight World War II and murder six million Jews.

Oh, and notice where most of the nations that God will destroy are located?

The Northern Hemisphere.

Those Who Might Not Be Destroyed

Furthermore, obscene murders of the Jews have happened throughout America, and American Jews suffered discrimination throughout US history. It took the civil rights movement of the 1960s to stop hotels, restaurants and other businesses from discriminating against Jewish Americans. And, when I run into Americans who despise the Jews, my instinct is to bash heads.

Those who despise the Jews in any way, bring God's judgment upon themselves.

Worse, Americans and the American government have spent a long time supporting the enemies of Israel. The US State Department has constantly opposed Israel’s interests, while supporting the Arabs who sought to kill every Israeli. They even went as far as to seek the defeat of Israel during the Yom Kippur war. Nixon had to threaten to fire Kissinger and Schlesinger if they did not begin an emergency air lift of supplies to Israel. The antisemitism of the American Deep State is part of an anti-Jewish undercurrent to US history, and now has a more modern expression in American universities and American elites.

My hope is that God will spare North America. If there is enough good left in her, there’s a chance that God will be merciful towards those who have not corrupted themselves.

But, what about those parts of the world who have NOT persecuted the Jews?

Well, they might not suffer as much as others do. Here are the countries that do not seem to have a history of persecuting the Jews:

East Asia – China, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.

South Asia – India, Bangladesh

Central and South America

Central and Southern Africa

I honestly don’t know if we can claim that these places will be safer than others. They certainly have their own issues that deserve judgment from God. The world is soaked in the blood of the innocent, and corruption and repression are everywhere. But, if Ezekiel’s Fire is God’s judgment for our hatred of the Jews, then the Southern Hemisphere and parts of Asia might suffer least.

The interesting irony that partly explains why the Southern Hemisphere would survive, is that these areas represent the bulk of the Third World. They are less reliant on electricity, and have far fewer tall buildings. Yes, their big cities will suffer, but the poorer countryside will probably survive much better than those in wealthier areas of the world.

Think about this for a moment:

The poorest among us will probably survive Ezekiel’s Fire far better than the wealthiest.

There is an element of justice in that. The greatest corruption is among the wealthy. The greatest sin. The most pornography. The most drug use. Aside from China, the most abortions. The most adultery. And the wealthiest Christians are almost always the most corrupt Christians.

That last one is vital to remember:

The Christians of wealthy nations are the most corrupt of all Christians.

There are poor countries with corrupt Christians. I've seen quite a few of those myself. But, the most corrupt churches in the world are found in North America and Europe. And, one of the many reasons why I live in Taiwan, is that I can no longer bear to be a part of the massive corruption in Christian churches in America. However, that is a lesser reason. The biggest reason why I am in Taiwan is to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jerusalem Destroyed

The next part of Jeremiah is another example of corrupt translations. Not a single English Bible translates Jeremiah 30:18-22 correctly. It’s utterly maddening to see translators do this, but let’s pick the best version of this passage:

18 “Thus says the Lord,
‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And have compassion on his dwelling places;
And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin,
And the palace will stand on its rightful place.
19 ‘From them will proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who celebrate;
And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished;
I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.
20 ‘Their children also will be as formerly,
And their congregation shall be established before Me;
And I will punish all their oppressors.
21 ‘Their leader shall be one of them,
And their ruler shall come forth from their midst;
And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me;
For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be My people,
And I will be your God.’”

– Jeremiah 30:18-22 – (NASB1995)

Unfortunately, the NASB gets verse 21 wrong. The NKJV does better with that verse:

Their nobles shall be from among them, And their governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.

– Jeremiah 30:21 (NKJV)

It means that the leadership of Israel, will be CHRISTIAN. No longer will the leaders of Israel follow a false religion. (Spend any time around Rabbinic Judaism, and you'll see how false it is.)

Now, notice what the LORD says in verse 18. The NASB tells it like this:

the city will be rebuilt on its ruin

The actual Hebrew is this:

ונבנתה עיר על-תלה

(veh-niv-neh-tah eer ahl-tee-lah)

That literally says:

‘and was built a city on her mound/ruin’

The Hebrew does NOT say ‘rebuilt’. But, the meaning of that verse is probably as the NASB says:

…the city will be rebuilt on its ruin…

Some versions replace ‘city’ with ‘Jerusalem’. That is not what the Hebrew says, but since the previous verse refers to Jerusalem, that is probably also correct.

Why does it use that strange word תלה (pronounced tee-lah)?

In Israel, the word for the site where archeologists have discovered the ruins of an ancient city is called a תל (pronounced tel). And, since it’s always a hill that is thousands of layers deep, it fits. Having said that, they will also refer to regular hills as ‘tels’, like Tel Aviv – which means ‘Hill of Spring’. However, ‘tel’ is a masculine noun, and the word for city is feminine. The word, Zion, is also feminine. So, it looks like Jeremiah feminized the word for ‘ruin’ in verse 18 to make sure that we understood the connection to the previous verse – Zion.

The Great Earthquake

Unfortunately, the reference to ruins reminds us of what Ezekiel and Isaiah said about this moment:

so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’

– Ezekiel 38:20 (NKJV)

There will be on every high mountain
And on every high hill
Rivers and streams of waters,
In the day of the great slaughter,
When the towers fall.

– Isaiah 30:25 (NKJV)

Every wall and every tall building will fall to the ground. All around the world. Cities will lie in ruins. The cities of Israel will be destroyed, and it looks like there is one city that will also suffer a similar fate, but be rebuilt:

Jerusalem

Other cities might be so destroyed that rebuilding them will likely be a problem – especially, if there is no electricity and if all heavy machinery has been disabled.

Oh, and don’t forget what Ezekiel is saying here:

All men will shake

fish will shake

This earthquake will be everywhere, and there will be Tsunamis in every coastal region of the world - depending upon the direction of undersea quakes. It will be a disaster of truly shocking proportions. So, you not only need to get out of the cities, but you will also need to get away from coastal areas.

My completely irrational hope is that not every city around the world will be destroyed. I would love to see some cities escape this terrible event, but I am not being logical or reasonable in this desire. No one should think that any place in the world will avoid what is coming. And, if some cities do survive this earthquake, I do not think that we can predict which ones will.

When Gog comes to attack Israel, get out of the cities. Stay away from tall buildings. Get away from any sea shore. Do not camp on the side of a hill or mountain. Get to a flat, open area and stay there until long after Ezekiel's Fire is over.

By the way, how many earthquakes are there in the Book of Revelation?

Five.

That’s right, there are FIVE earthquakes in the Book of Revelation. And, Ezekiel’s Fire appears to be the first of them.

We Would Only Understand This Now

What should catch special attention is the last line of Jeremiah 30:

23 Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord
Goes forth with fury,
A continuing whirlwind;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart.
In the latter days you will consider it.

– Jeremiah 30:23-24 (NKJV)

Since those two verses are spoken of in context with the salvation of Israel, it would be wrong to shift the interpretation of those verses onto the ‘catchall’ of the Wrath of God, as described in Revelation.

That phrase ‘In the latter days you will consider it.’ should cause us to be careful. There’s a reason why we will consider and understand this tempest that is going to fall upon the wicked. And, I believe that part of the reason has everything to do with our understanding of how fragile our technological civilization is.

Scientists and engineers are already warning us about how dangerous a large solar flare would be, if it hit the Earth. The Carrington Event of 1859, if repeated, would do terrible damage to our our way of life. A billion could die from that alone. But, the micronova that the Bible is warning us about, will dwarf that solar flare by thousands of times.

Worse, we have seen stars like our own sun, explode with cataclysmic events. Some stars do this multiple times. And, some astronomers have claimed that we are due to have one of those, in the coming decades. And yes, it will be the second nova event.

Do you want to guess when the first one happened?

Right. The Great Flood.

(Read Ezekiel's Fire to understand what that means.)

The bottom line is that we UNDERSTAND what Ezekiel’s Fire is. And, we UNDERSTAND what it will do to our technological society. Therefore, I think that THIS is why we are now able to understand – or, consider – what God is saying to us through Jeremiah.

Just a hundred years ago, no one would have had a CLUE about the dangers of such a massive solar event. Now, we do.

I truly hope that you’ll be ready for this.

The prophecy that began in Jeremiah 30, continues with the next chapter.

Jeremiah 31

This chapter stands as a reminder that God was not the author of these chapter divisions. Chapter breaks were put into the Bible only a few hundred years ago, by 13th century Catholic Archbishop, Stephen Langton. Generally, these divisions are helpful, but they can be misleading to the unwary.

Thankfully, the first verse of this chapter makes it clear that we are still within the prophecy that started with Jeremiah 30:

“At the same time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”

– Jeremiah 31:1 (NKJV)

This confirms that Jeremiah 31 is a continuation of Jeremiah 30. We are still within the same vision and prophecy that began with the previous chapter. Moreover, verse one implies something interesting. It indicates that before this time, Yehovah was NOT the God of all the families of Israel – that there was a time when Israel was not His people.

Looking back, it is clear that this has been the case for two thousand years – as it is the case now. But, when this prophecy is finished, it will no longer be the case. Some might be puzzled by this distinction. So, let’s talk about that a little bit.

When we talk about the Jews being the Chosen people, we do not mean that they are in a current state of perfect relationship with God. They aren’t, and they cannot be in perfect relationship with God without the Messiah. The Savior.

Without Jesus, the prophesied Messiah, you cannot have a relationship with God. Period.

Yet, an eternal promise was given, and a people have been chosen to fulfill that promise at a certain moment in our future. When that moment comes, Yehovah will be the God of all the families of Israel. How that happens is what we are talking about. But, let’s get back to what Jeremiah 31 says.

The next verse brings to mind not just the great earthquake that will knock down the cities of Israel and the world, but also the terrible fighting described in Zechariah and Ezekiel:

2 Thus says the Lord:
“The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when I went to give him rest.”

– Jeremiah 31:2 (NKJV)

Again, Zechariah says that only a third of those living in the Land of Israel will survive what is coming (Zech 13:8). I live in dread of this fact, but I must remind myself that God knows what He’s doing and has His reasons for why He does what He does.

However, God might be referring to the exodus from Egypt, when they fled the murderous tyranny of Pharoah (the sword) and found safety in the Sinai (grace in the wilderness). Oh, and the word for ‘wilderness’ is actually מדבר (pronounced meed-bar) – literally, dry place or desert. The Sinai, is definitely a desert.

The next verse clarifies God’s attitude towards the children of Jacob:

3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

– Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV)

This verse presents us with yet another translation mistake. The words, ‘of old’, should actually say, ‘from far away’ or ‘from afar’. The Hebrew word is מרחוק (pronounced meh-rah-hoke). If I want to say that something is ‘far away’, I say that it’s רחוק (rah-hoke). Rahoke has NOTHING to do with age. It’s about distance. I consider it to be a crime that the translators of the Bible are so sloppy. If you can’t translate the Bible properly, you shouldn’t do it at all. And yes, the KJV also makes this mistake.

Yet, the meaning of the verse is still obvious and visible:

God’s love for the children of Jacob does not end, and has never ended.

Yet, they rejected Him and crucified His Son on a cross, to die for our sins. They did it in ignorance and rebellion, and have suffered terribly for that, for 2000 years. And, when the final tragedy of Jacob’s Trouble hits, only a third will survive.

Yet, the point of this chapter is that these survivors will be greatly blessed. They will receive all of what we’ll be talking about below.

However, the next line is confirmation of the great earthquake that will happen:

Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built,

– Jeremiah 31:4a (KJV)

God will need to build Israel, after the terrible disaster that has happened to her. It will need to be rebuilt, with an extra blessing:

4 Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.
5 You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria;
The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food.
6 For there shall be a day
When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim,
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’ ”

– Jeremiah 31:4-6 (NKJV)

Think about the amount of time that would need to pass, for such rejoicing to begin again. The years of burying so many loved ones will be over. The rebuilding will be accomplished. Jerusalem will again be the center of faith in Israel.

I am tempted to go into detail about the rest of the verses of Jeremiah 31, but most of them are about the blessing that God will give to the remnant of what we often call ‘The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel’. They might not know the tribe that they belong to, or that they are of any tribe, but they will be there. And, they will be blessed. Just remember that God speaks about replacing the identity of these tribes with that of Judah (Ezekiel 37:19).

However, there is one passage, later in this chapter, that is of specific importance:

31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

– Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NKJV)

A new covenant?

That’s right. There will be a New Covenant, and we know what that covenant is, and Who it is that makes it. Moses spoke about Him, here:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,

– Deuteronomy 18:15 (NKJV)

That Prophet is Jesus. There can be no other that Moses was referring to. Nor can there be any other that Jeremiah is referring to. And, ANYONE who claims that this new covenant is different than the one that Jesus gave us, is a liar and a false teacher.

Jesus was, is and always will be, the final sacrifice.

The lamb, slain from the foundation of the world - Revelation 13:8.

Unfortunately, far too many are claiming that Israel will go back to the Torah. They say that burnt offerings will begin again. They say that there will be a rebuilt temple and the sacrifice of bulls and goats.

What a truly awful and misguided thing to teach.

Don’t they know that they are denying our Lord and Savior as they teach such foolish falsehoods?

Don’t they know that there is no other way to salvation except through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

And, if they do know this, why would they dare to preach the rebuilding of the Third Temple?

This willingness to believe such a lie, needs to stop. Lies have corrupted our understanding of the Last Days and made us unable to see what is coming. The Bible has warned us of the great disaster that will befall our world. So, we are without excuse.

Conclusion

Now, let's take a moment to recap what we've seen:

The Children of Jacob return to the Land of Israel

Jacob's Trouble is not the Great Tribulation

Israel will be purified

The enemies of the Jews will be destroyed

Jerusalem will be rebuilt from its ruins

Only in the Last Days will we understand what Jeremiah was talking about.

Israel will have a new covenant that they will follow - NOT the old one.

That's a lot. In fact, it speaks to the terrible difficulty that the whole world will go through. But, as hard as it will be, the result will be entirely worth it. God will be glorified. People will be saved for eternity. What an incredible time that will be. And, Micah 5 will confirm much of what we have said here.

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Click Here For Micah 5