Re: Jeremiah
 

80's are ideal...not to cold, not to hot! No storms..just consistantly beautiful! :rolleyes: What did you like the most about snow when you were little?

Re: Jeremiah
 

Okay, let's try to get back into the study. Unfortunately my time has become extremely limited. But these days it's certainly better to be working than not. Lots of interesting things going on in this country and overseas though. One thing I will say on this whole contraception issue is it's not about Catholic doctrine or "women's rights" or health, or even insurance. It's about the Federal government trying to tell those in the Church or of faith to go with something that violates their conscience. That's something I can honestly say I would never imagined would have happened in this country. It's no different than if the same government were to say to an atheist group, "mail out these Christmas cards with the baby Jesus on them." Freedom of religion is special and a cherished right in this country and it's not one we the people will relinquish without a fight.

Now, that said, let's get back into it. Jeremiah 12, been forever hasn't it? Starting with verse 7.

Jeremiah 12:7 "I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies."

This is God speaking. It refers of course to the House of Judah, and before that even the House of Israel going into captivity. God didn't want this to happen and He doesn't want it to happen now and in the future. But guess what, it did happen and it will happen again when many of God's people of all "tribes", Christians, go into spiritual captivity to Satan himself. What causes this? God's people leaving Him out. God's people going after pretty little doctrines that sound so enticing and spiritual and uplifting but which have no truth to them... or little truth to them. You know I don't want to get too politicial, but we've got a president who claims to be Christian when in reality he is anything but. He's taken to using scripture though to justify his agenda. Be very very careful friends. Don't just listen to a man, whether he's a teacher, preacher, or president. Study the word for yourself to show yourself approved.

Jeremiah 12:8 "Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it."

You know a lion is actually a quite noble creature. It was actually the symbol of the tribe of Judah and in Revelation 5:5 Christ is referred to as the lion of the tribe of Judah. But when a lion roars it's pretty fierce and loud. When a lion hunts and kills it's prey it's not exactly gentle either. It shakes and rips and tears at every bit of it. This is the way God feels when He sees His people and His churches stating things are truth and from His Word when they are not... misleading people... misrepresenting Him. What's that say at the end? I HATED it. Well, I thought God loves everybody. He does love His children. But He does hate their actions sometimes and when His children do them without shame and with no regard at all for Him, yes He does have hate for those people. That is not to say they can not be forgiven upon repentance. But there are certainly things, actions committed that do cause God to hate.

I'm going to post this show it does not get lost as the computer disconnected when I stepped away earlier.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Jeremiah 12:9 "Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour."

This speckled bird has been interesting and at times confused in God's Word. There are some more modern translations that even use the word hyena which is actually something very different and unfortunately takes away from the word. The Hebrew did make a comparison to a hyena in the description of speckled.

6641.
[wbc tsabuwa`, tsaw-boo'-ah; passive participle of the same as 06648; dyed (in stripes), i.e. the hyena:--speckled.


But it is talking of a bird and not a hyena. The speckled bird actually would be a bird of prey. But it's a bird that in being born or hatched, it looks different than all the other birds, and they actually attack it because of that fact. It doesn't have a friend in the world or bird kingdom basically.

So what God is saying is He's turning his inheirtance, which is to say His very people over to the world so they can kind of have their way with them. Why? Well, number one they turned their back on Him and would not listen to Him, so they bring it on themselves. But number two, hopefully after the world kind of abuses them, they'll wise up and say, "Wait a minute, I need some help here. I need to get back to God." He will take them back upon true repentance.... although at the end when one actually jumps in bed with Satan, that's a little different. It is still not our place to judge, especially when some are perhaps even blinded for their own protection. But God will let the world work over some people for a while.

Jeremiah 12:10 "Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness."

It is a sad thing that it pastors do this, but this is why it is so key that if one believes they are meant to be a pastor, they'd better teach God's Word and nothing else. If you start mixing in man's word and other religious doctrine in with it, you've got a mess. More than that, in this generation especially you lead people straight to Satan. Whenever you see this word desolate in God's Word, you can almost always connect it to Satan and it should raise your attention to the time period we're talking about. We're talking about the time of the end, or The Tribulation. What comes out of a vineyard? Well, grapes do but of course what we usually connect with a vineyard is wine. Christians in taking Holy Communion drink wine or grape juice. This is a personal and solemn thing in that it of course is a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. When Satan comes he's going to put an end to that because he's going to falsely assume the role of Christ.

Daniel 9:27; "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifices and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."


So when Satan does this it pretty much is the height of abomination and it is the good little Christian ministers who help him along. Out of ignorance, yes... but it is still a terrible thing.

Jeremiah 12:11 "They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart."

Even though God made man superior over the rest of His creation in the flesh, sometimes man is a little slower to realize something is wrong. In this instance most of mankind thinks this abomination who causes desolation is actually Jesus, even while creation or the land itself is in mourning. For those deceived, it's going to be a happy time for a while, as weird and as sad as that sounds. Of course, when the true Christ does return that's when those same people will be asking hills and mountains to cover them, for they will be greatly ashamed. What does no man layeth to heart? The Word of God! I would ask, do you? Do you actually work at it, study it and meditate upon it to try to learn from it? Do you like studying in more depth than most? If so, guess what? God really loves you for that! He truly does, and you will quite likely not be in that crowd. Doesn't mean you're going to be "raptured away". It just means you know the truth and can actually make a stand for it.

Jeremiah 12:12 "The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace."

I don't know, have you looked around the world today? There's not a lot of peace and security to be found in too many places. You have corrupt governments, you have it seems like a different government or change in leadership in government seemingly at times on a monthly basis. That's not necessarily literal, but the point is we've got a lot going on in this old world today. What about in this nation? We've got a president who as I said at the start seems to want to tell the churches to violate their conscience under the pretense of "reproductive rights and women's health." He's told military chaplains what they could and could not say in regard to his administration. He's used God's Word incorrectly to justify his goal of taking money away from those who worked for it and spreading it around to those who did not. He continues to spend and spend and spend money we don't have. Gas prices just took another huge jump upward. If you don't have a knowledge of and relationship with God and a good working knowledge of His Word to know and understand what's going on and why it's going on, yeah it's hard for you to have peace of mind. But guess what? God is still in control! When it gets tough, remember that.

Jeremiah 12:13 "They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD."

They work hard at what they do. That is to say these spoilers and also these pastors. They work night and day but the results aren't there. I'm going to focus on these pastors as I believe that is the main focus in this verse. They teach and preach and give their lengthy sermons, but it's a little bit of God's Word, a little bit of Pastor Dan's word, a little bit about last night's football game, and a little bit about where are we going for lunch after the service is over. Then they look maybe down the road a ways at this little old country church that people flock to. Why is that? Because that church teaches the Word of God! Again, I'm just stating hypothetical examples, but the key is do you focus on the Word or do you focus on something else? If you focus on the Word, your work, your ministry, your life will be blessed. If you don't, well maybe you're the one looking at other people and wondering why they're successful and blessed and you're kind of left out.

Jeremiah 12:14 "Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them."

This, as we will hopefully see in the next couple of verses is the process of God separating the haves from the have nots spiritually speaking, or the sheep from the goats.

Jeremiah 12:15 "And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land."

God is very fair and truly does love His children. After He separates out those who would do evil and cause mischief, He will restore to those who do right what was temporarily taken from them.

Jeremiah 12:16 "And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people."

Again friends, salvation is open to all people as is grace and forgiveness upon repentance. But there is a condition to all that. IF they will DILIGENTLY learn the ways of My people. What happens if they don't?

Jeremiah 12:17 "But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD."

God is going to give and does give people every chance to get it right. But it is on them. If they obey and love Him, then every sin that they committed is gone, never to be remembered again by Him. If they don't, then they will be brought down to nothing... even in a final literal sense in the lake of fire. But the thing is again, if a person works at it, if they try... no one is perfect, but if they try to get it right and repent when they don't, guess what... they're forgiven. That's a much better way to live than the alternative for sure.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

We come now, after a long break, to the 13th chapter of Jeremiah. This is an interesting chapter and maybe a bit funny for some because God basically is going to tell Jeremiah to get a linen girdle and stick it in the Euphrates River. Now naturally there's a reason for this, and it's symbolism. He's going to use that linen girdle and some wine bottles to symbolize the people of Judah. Those are His people, but when God's people go astray from Him, well they're not going to come out of it unmarred. That was true then, it's true today. But remember, all of this is here to teach us today, and there is always repentance and forgiveness at this time. So, let's go on to verse 1.

Jeremiah 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."

The linen girdles were generally worn by the upper class but it basically would be like a belt. God is saying, "Don't get it wet" because He wants it to remain in good condition so that it becomes obvious what causes the damage.

Jeremiah 13:2 "So I got a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins."

So, here Jeremiah goes out and buys the girdle and puts it on, following God's instructions.

Jeremiah 13:3 "And the word of the Lord came unto me the second time, saying,"

Jeremiah 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."

Now, there are some scholars who wonder if Jeremiah actually went to the Euphrates River or if this is allegorical. The Euphrates was a long trip for Jeremiah, but I believe that in as much as it's written, that's where he went. It's interesting to note too that the Euphrates was the border between Israel and Babylon. A lot of people look at Babylon as a past kingdom, and it was. But it's coming again... HOWEVER it's not so much the location as it is the spiritual and mental state of confusion that's going to be the hallmark of it. But here we have God telling Jeremiah, take this linen girdle you've been wearing, and keep in mind Jeremiah has not washed it. It's dirty because God instructed him not to put it in water. But at the same time it is intact. He's going to take that girdle, which we will discover is symbolic of the people of Judah, and take it right to that area where confusion and false religion is rampant. But the point is going to be not that the people of Babylon are going to be marred, but that the people of Judah are marred with false religion... false tradition... man's tradition.
Jeremiah 13:5 "So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me."

Jeremiah 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."

What do you think is going to be the result of this little illustration and experiment that God instructed Jeremiah to carry out?


Jeremiah 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 proifitable for nothing."

It was completely ruined. Friend, that's what tradition and false religion will do even to your very soul. I say that not to scare you or come down so much on other religions. But there is only one God, He is our Father, He does love us, and His Word and His truth is precious. When you follow that, it will be profitable for you. It, as again is mentioned in the 7th chapter and 23rd verse of this great book, it will be well for you. But there's a condition with all of God's promises, and if you don't follow His Word and obey His voice, and if you listen to man or something else, then you're pretty much useless to God. Again, one can always repent. But until that happens, then you're pretty marred.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

What do you think it means by worshiping other gods? Do you think it may mean "a physical form on the outside"? If the spirit resides inside and we refuse to acknowledge that unification through thought and action...then we are useless...the walking dead.

The girdle holds the body...in retrospect..the body holds the spirit. If we refuse to acknowledge that spirit inside...the body is no good just like that girdle. Its just laying there in the cleft that rock...rotting. No life within it.

Re: Jeremiah
 

I do think those who refuse to look at or acknowledge the spiritual nature, their own spiritual nature are indeed spiritually dead (though not necessarily hell bound) and useless for sure when it comes to serving God. Of course, unfortunately they likely don't believe in God so they view it as nonsense.

I think when it comes to worshipping other gods, as I said, there is one God. But people can make idols out of a lot of things, and they can almost worship them. Not necessarily in the sense of praying to them, but in honoring them, in becoming obsessed or overly preoccupied with them. Certainly too any other religions... well it's important to remember that while as a Christian I certainly believe other religions are incomplete, lacking, or even lies, it's important to remember that the commandment not to worship other gods went to the children of Israel and to believers today. This is not to say that people of other religions are okay or saved. It's to say that God is the judge and ignorance in and of itself is not a sin.

Basically though I believe it would involve giving reverence to, if you will, something other than God... be that another religion, be it some religious figure or so called god, or be that some fleshly hang up that keeps one of God's children who claims to love Him from actually showing or exhibiting that love and more to the point, where that other "thing" or "god" becomes more important to them than their own Heavenly Father.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Interesting points. Jason. Always appreciate your thoughts. :)

I thought a lot about the girdle, I find the wording to be absolutely beautiful in how the picture of it in the rock unfolds.

I dreamed you were going to post, and here you are. I love it when that happens. ;) My dreams are meshing lately, starting to feel like Fred Kruger..without the violence...or the orange and black sweater.
Ok..continue with your body of work. I won't hold you up any longer.:o

Re: Jeremiah
 

Quite alright Sasa.:)

Now then, continuing on with my body of work.

Jeremiah 13:8 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

God is going to explain this illustration Himself. You know, there's a lot of people, or some people at least, who say that God's Word is hard to understand or that the truth is hidden. There are different levels of truth in the Word and sometimes yes one has to dig or search for it. But He will always, ALWAYS share it with one who honestly cares and seeks it out. So what does He have to say about the girdle?

"Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
Now why would God do this to His people? Well first of all, having your balloon deflated a bit when it comes to pride isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world. Pride is what did Satan in. Now, it is fine to be proud of accomplishments that are rightly earned and blessings received from God. But when you're off into a bunch of falsehood and doing things that God does not approve of and are proud of it, you're probably in for a pretty harsh correcting. That is, if you are one of His and if He does have a purpose for you. Or even if you did receive some blessings and did get built up by God and start saying, "Look at what I did, or look how great I am." That was the downfall and the correction of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel Chapter 4. I mean he was warned by Daniel that God would take his kingdom away from him for a period of time and he would be driven mad like an animal. Then Nebuchadnezzar one day about a year later was walking around his palace and kingdom and said (paraphrasing), "Man, look at my great kingdom that I built for myself." Then just like that, in that instant he lost it all for a period of 7 times... which some say was a period of months, some say 7 years... but it happened as God said it would. Then at the end of that time, Nebuchadnezzar praised God and got everything back. But what does God have against Judah and Jerusalem here?

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.

Friend, that still applies today. Let's break it down a little and do a little self inventory. Do you refuse to hear His words? Well, I'll ask do you read and seek wisdom and understanding from this Word? If you do, then you're okay. If you ignore it, or would rather listen to some man, then things may not go so well for you. Do you pay more mind to fleshly things and desires and focus more on what you want than what God wants? Hey, we're all human and there's none of us perfect. But spiritual maturity comes when one reaches the point where they can honestly say, "If God doesn't want me to have it, I don't want to have it." Walking after other gods to serve and worship- well back then that was literal in the sense that they were following and accepting heathen gods and forms of worship. It still can be today. But it also can be again, what do I spend my time with. What takes precedence in my life? Is it God? Is it something else?

Friend, if you come up on the negative side of that equation or those questions, then God pretty much considers you good for nothing. That's a hard truth to swallow. But guess what? The beautiful thing about Christianity is there is repentance and there is forgiveness. You can't fool Him, and He might not trust you right away even after you repent. But in time when one works at it, one of those "good for nothings" just might wind up amounting to something. Hey, I honestly believe that. If I didn't, I sure wouldn't say it, and I wouldn't be much of a Christian. But one has to work at it for sure.

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.

Now there's actually a lot of tenderness and a lot of love in that. What you have to realize is that God has feelings. He took all of Jacob, all 12 tribes, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, as His people. His special children whom He loved. It's the same way with the Christian body today. If you call yourself Christian, then you should stand up as one. You should represent Christ and your Father with a good name, and give Him praise and glory not only from you to Him but in what you do, showing that nature and that character to everyone around you. Hey, we all fall short. I certainly wouldn't want anyone to judge God or Christianity by following me around 24/7. But He loves you... and when you're in His family, you're something special. So, ACT LIKE IT. Not in a prideful way, other than being proud of what God has done for you. But live for him and be an example unto other people, as best you can.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Okay, so we made it through the girdle illustration. Hopefully you kept yours on throughout.:D

Alright, we're coming now to another illustration of wine bottles, and there's certainly a very spiritual element to this one. So, try to think of things in a spiritual sense and not so much the physical.

Jeremiah 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?"

We're going to find here that the bottles here, much as with the girdle, are representative of people. Take note too of the beginning of the verse. Is it "thus saith Jeremiah"? No, it's thus saith the Lord God of Israel. What's the reaction of the people? It's kind of scoffing, mocking, kind of a "well we already know that, quit bothering us" kind of attitude. Friends, if God has something to say, it's best to listen and pay attention. That's whether He speaks through someone or whether He speaks right here in His Word for you to read and hopefully absorb today. Again, what are the bottles?

Jeremiah 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.

How many inhabitants of the land? Was it just a certain segment? No, it was ALL the inhabitants of the land, from the kings and priests right down to the lowliest resident in terms of wealth or status. Again, the bottles are people, and they're going to be stumbling around in a spiritual stupor. We've probably all seen someone drunk, I mean really drunk. It can be comical. But it's not all that funny when someone's soul is on the line.

You know I think too in reading this of both Romans 11:7-8 and Revelation 17. In Romans 11:7 it actually states that Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it. Well who's the election? Well, it's some of Israel but not all. But it's composed of many different races and nations. It's made up of people who love the Lord, who study His Word and who won't be deceived by a fake, i.e. Satan. But then in verse 8 what does it say?

"(According as it is written, "God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear";) unto this day."

And so it is. You have people walking around today who don't have a clue about what's going on in the world today. Why is it happening, what will come of it? They are completely blinded to the reality that it's all coming about as foretold in God's Word. This spirit of slumber can also be translated "stupor". It's not making fun of them. God Himself places it over them. Why? For their protection quite honestly. That way they maintain perhaps SOME DEGREE of innocence. Not saying they are, not saying they're heaven bound, hell bound, that's for God to decide. But they are the type who always seem to have something more important to do than get into God's Word. Hey, no one's perfect, and God understands people and circumstances more than we do. But there are some who will be in a stupor spiritually, and quite frankly already are.

Then Revelation 17 we have the harlot who as it says in verse 2 the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. What fornication? Spiritual fornication by being taken in by the false Christ instead of the true one. Again, spiritual stupor, spiritual slumber, none the wiser until it's too late and the true one returns, and they realize they made a big mistake.

Alright then, back to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 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."

Now again, keep in mind this is spiritual and not physical. The drunkenness is spiritual. Keep in mind too that if you can picture a bunch of drunk people crammed together in a room, as an example, they'll probably be running into each other and knocking each other over. So it's as much self destruction as anything else.

But why would God not pity or have mercy on them? Well, to obtain mercy you kind of have to repent and have a change of heart first. They're not going to. How many times does it say in Revelation that the people would not repent of their deeds? Kind of sad isn't it? Actually, it's really sad. Your Father loves you. He created your very soul because he wanted someone like YOU. Let Him know you love Him. Let Him know that you care enough to read and study His letter to you. Don't be in the spiritually drunk crowd. That's not a place you want to be. Be aware spiritually, be sober, diligent, and be blessed. That's a whole lot better than the alternative.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Alright, continuing on then. We're going to have a warning or exhortation by Our Father given through Jeremiah, and later on, perhaps not today, we'll get into Jerusalem's destiny.

But let's pick it up with our next verse.

Jeremiah 13:15 "Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken."

You know, that was kind of that crowd's whole problem when Jeremiah addressed them. Was it not? They were too proud to give ear. "Oh we know the bottles will be filled with wine. Why would we not know that. We're "enlightened". Well, they actually were spiritually drunk and in a stupor, or would be. Again friends, if the Lord says something, pay attention. Like it or not, it's always for your own benefit when you follow it.
Jeremiah 13:16 "Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness."

Did you catch that? Did you catch that way out and that warning before the storm? How do I avoid destruction? Give glory to God. Love Him. Learn from Him and be guided by Him through His Word. What is that Psalm often recited at funerals? Psalms 23:4 "Yea thou I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Friend, He's your best defense and your greatest advocate in this world. If He's with you, you can have darkness and dark mountains all around you, let there will always be a light to guide your path personally. Do you believe that? I hope you do, because it's the truth. But if you feel like you're too important that you can't be bothered to hear and read His Word, then you'll be lost in that darkness.
Jeremiah 13:17 "But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive."

This is Jeremiah speaking but it could almost be tied to Our Father as well. It hurts Him when people will not listen to His Word. Why? Because He needs the attention? No, because He loves His children! He wants to see them do well and be protected and blessed. But if their pride leads them to say that they don't need to pay attention to God, then He'll let them be carried away captive. It happened to all of Israel and Judah. It will happen to most of the world when Satan arrives as Antichrist, coming to "save them". The problem being is he's a fake, and had they paid attention and listened to God, they would have known that. It hurts God, it hurts one close to God, like a member of His election, to see people so spiritually deceived. It really does.
Jeremiah 13:18 "Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory."

Historically during Jeremiah's time this applied to King Jehoiachin, and his mother, the queen, as recorded in II Kings 24:12-15. After just 3 month's time, they had lost their power and rank and were taken to Babylon.

Prophetically or currently, it can apply to any individual, any king, any nation. Certainly there will come a time in which Christ sits as king of kings and lord of lords over all, and that will be good. But before that time, we're going to have a fake fooling most of the world, and from that time to when Christ does arrive, it's going to be a humbling time, and unfortunately one of great shame for many.
Jeremiah 13:19 "The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive."

The word "cities" in the text originally actually read eyes. Now isn't that interesting? The eyes of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them. Spiritual blindness, spiritual slumber, as prophesied in God's Word.
Jeremiah 13:20 "Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?"

From the North in our time is mostly concerning Russia and those aligned with her. This is North in relation to the land of Judea or Israel. It will certainly be something to watch, as Russia certainly plays a role in these end times.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Okay, I mentioned that I was going to talk a little about Jerusalem's destiny. I have a little bit of limited time, so we'll go with that a little. I do want to make a mention of that last verse where it asks where the flock went. Well, naturally they went into captivity. Historically it was captivity to literal Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. Prophetically it will be spiritual Babylon and Antichrist. He's going to set up camp in Jerusalem. But let's get back to the chapter and try to at least come close to finishing it.

Jeremiah 13:21 "What wilt thou say when He shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?"

This is kind of saying that the people that you taught and ultimately chose to be over you have lead you down the wrong path. That many times is going to obviously be bad priests, bad supposed teachers of the Word and they teach traditions of men. But it can even refer certainly to kings and heads of state. You know right here in this nation we have an election every four years, and in 2008 we had one in which we elected someone who didn't have a lot going for him other than personal charisma and being the opposite party of what many people came to believe caused a mess. Well, I know some people in 2012 who have and have had for some time a bit of buyer's remorse over the way they voted in 2008. Not everyone, and I don't want to get too political here. But the point is, if you have a leader over you who is not the most competent around, you're going to have problems. Obviously any woman who's experienced it knows about labor pains. Well, this world itself is experiencing some labor pains too as we come closer and closer to the end of this age. Stay awake, and stay tuned.

Jeremiah 13:22 "And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare."

This is basically very spiritual and it's saying that Judah, and anyone who takes part, was a harlot spiritually speaking. Whether than staying faithful to the true Christ, they married themselves to the false one, or will, and not only will there be some rough punishment and correction, it's going to be out in the open to everyone what they did.

Jeremiah 13:23 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."

Naturally it is impossible for one to change the color of their skin or for a leopard to change or remove its spots. So too is it impossible, unfortunately, for one who is taught and trained to do evil to turn around and do good... ON THEIR OWN. It's not impossible for God, and it's not impossible for them if they repent and follow Him instead of their false religions and false traditions. But man can no more change himself or save himself than a leopard can change its spots. Part of it is because they actually believe, many of them, that they're doing right. But it unfortunately is the exact opposite.

Jeremiah 13:24 "Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness."

And so He did. He scattered the 10 northern tribes and He scattered the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to where it was not until 1948 that some of them returned to and reclaimed their home land.

Jeremiah 13:25 "This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood."

Don't ever forget your Father, and certainly don't ever trust or confide in something else over Him. It is good to have friends, to take advice if it's good advice. But He created your very soul, and there's no one in the universe who cares more about you or is more intelligent than Him.

Jeremiah 13:26 "Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear." Again, out in the open. They'll be asking the mountains to fall upon them to hide them. But it will be known. A sad time to be sure.

Jeremiah 13:27 "I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?"
Well, rest assured, He will make it right and clean it up. What a time that will be.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Well good afternoon or good day to you. We're picking up now with Chapter 14 in the book of Jeremiah. Chapter 14 at the start deals with a drought. There are many who based on the nature of the book of Jeremiah and what was going on that feel this drought is symbolism and a drought for spiritual truth. There are others who maybe think that around this time of roughly 490-480 BC there was a literal drought. In any event, for our purposes we can consider it spiritual because we know as it says in Amos 8:11 there will be a famine in the end times not for bread or water but for hearing the words of God. Why? Well, most of what will be taught and even is taught quite frankly, and unfortunately, is more tradition and denominational doctrine than God's Word. That is not coming down on churches. But the situation is what it is and it's all coming to pass as it is written. So how about this drought? Let's read on.

Jeremiah 14:1 "The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth."
Dearth is a word that means drought, or literally restraint of rain.

dearth
1226 batstsoreth (bats-tso'-reth);
feminine intensive from 1219; restraint (of rain), i.e. drought:
KJV-- dearth, drought.

God can hold back or restrain the literal rain. He can also hold back the truth from many, and will do so as again it states in Amos 8:11. That famine is sent by God. Why would He do that? Well, first of all to test some. But if people would rather listen to something else rather than God's Word and Truth, well then He can arrange that. But let me tell you this too. God always, always, ALWAYS takes care and provides for His own and those who love Him.

Jeremiah 14:2 "Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up."

Black, as I'm sure you're well aware, is the color of mourning. Naturally when you have a literal drought and it's prolonged and bad, people suffer. So too with a spiritual drought or famine. If people are starving or thirsting in the flesh sense they suffer. If they starve or thirst in the spiritual sense, they really suffer. Here you have people calling out for help that are pretty much literally on their knees mourning and crying.

Jeremiah 14:3 "And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads

Little ones are not necessarily children, though they could be. But they sent their servants to the well to get water, and there's no water. Take this in a spiritual sense when you have people thirsting for truth and knowledge. Where do they go? They go to a church, but they find no truth, no knowledge. Friends, that is FAMINE. That is spiritually parched ground. These servants go back embarrassed and confused, and they cover their heads in mourning. There's no water! There's no truth!

Jeremiah 14:4 "Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads."

Here we say the ground is so literally dry and it's been so hot that there are literal cracks in the ground, making it useless for planting anything. You can't work the earth, the soil because it's so dry and hard, and there's no moisture at all in the soil to sustain the root system of anything if you could plant it. Similarly too, imagine that condition spiritually where everything is so dry and burnt up that even if you could plant a seed of truth, there's no way for it to grow. Very sorry state the land is in, and a very sorry state man will be in spiritually at that particular time. It reminds me of the parable of the sower in which the sower planted seeds that went on rocky ground, in areas where thistle choked out the good plants, in areas where birds swooped down and ate the seed. It was only in good, rich ground and good soil where the root system could be built up healthy that the seed germinated, grew, and the plant blossomed or bloomed. Similarly, if you're not firmly rooted in God's Word, then you're just susceptible to any obstacles that come along to pluck you away spiritually. Having spent a brief period of time in lawn care, one in that field knows, or should know, that the key to a healthy yard is healthy soil and a healthy root system. If the root system gets pulled up even a little, then that yard or that plant becomes much weaker and much more susceptible to drought, disease, pests, etc. Healthy soil, healthy well secured root structure is the key in horticulture and in your life spiritually as well.

Jeremiah 14:5 "Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass."

Here we have the drought extending even to the animals who naturally would be effected by a literal drought as well. We have a doe giving birth to a fawn, a little baby deer, and the mother actually abandons it. Why? There's no food for the mother, and with no food not only does it make it impossible for her to survive, she can't produce milk to even feed her baby.

Jeremiah 14:6 "And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass."

The word dragons actually in the Hebrew is jackals. There are of course no literal dragons, though Satan symbolically is the Dragon. Although, it's not a bad word or bad mental picture, because if you can picture in your mind that hot, dry air these wild donkies are breathing in and out, it probably to them almost would be like breathing fire. No moisture in the air even, their eyes dried up and glazed over due to this heavy drought. Think too of what that does to a person's soul spiritually during this famine of Amos 8. How did you stay sustained through it? You get into God's Word, you study it deeper than just what's on the surface, you absorb it into your mind to where rather than having the mark of the beast in your mind, you actually have the seal of God in your forehead, and you'll be in good shape. Think too in John 4 of Jesus offering that Living Water to the Samaritan woman at the well. That water is offered to anyone who loves Him, studies His Word, learns it, and chooses to partake of it. God will never allow someone to go hungry or thirsty spiritually who earnestly seeks and drinks of or eats of the truth. Keep that in mind. We'll continue this chapter later on.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Well, it's a nice sunny afternoon here in Ohio and I figured I would see if I couldn't get a few verses in before heading back out. We have this drought, and it was likely a literal drought in the land. But there's going to be a spiritual drought and famine that comes as well. That is very likely going to happen in our lifetime, and again, you might say it's already started or is about to. So this is an important chapter to be sure. Let's continue on.

Jeremiah 14:7 "O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee."

This is a plea and sort of admitting that they have sinned, which is good. But there is going to be a problem here.

Jeremiah 14:8 "O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?"

Here they are asking God why He's such a stranger to them in their time of trouble. Well, if you look at it and if you've been paying attention in this book of Jeremiah and know the bible even a little, it hopefully isn't that hard to figure out. God didn't leave them and wasn't a stranger to them, they were a stranger to Him! They went after other gods and other religions, rolling their little cakes to the "queen of heaven" and basically ignoring God's instruction and wisdom. Then when they ran into trouble, they want to know where God is and want Him to come save them. Well, I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. He will ALWAYS forgive sin when one has a true change of heart and sincerely repents. But if one or a group of people want Him to help them so they can go right back to their wicked ways, I'm sorry, but it won't happen.

Jeremiah 14:9 "Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not."

Well, this is true except of course God can and does save whomsoever will believe, truly believe upon Him. While it is true they were called by His name, it's also true that in this same book back in Chapter 3 of Jeremiah God divorced all of Israel. Sadly, this is I don't want to say a common theme, but not an isolated case or example. It's as Christ will tell some after He returns and even on Judgment Day who claim to be Christian and have done all sorts of things in His name, "I never knew you, get out of my sight". There are many today who call themselves Christian, or they claim to be called by His name, and they're really not. I'm not judging, I'm just saying claiming to be of God or doing work in His name does not always make it so, and does not mean that He's going to aid you because you claim to be a Christian. It takes sincerity of heart to where you might never be perfect, but you try, and you love Him and don't want to let Him down. More than anything, you read His Word and seek to do His will and please Him. So, being"called" a certain thing doesn't necessarily mean all it's cracked up to be. Still, this is a plea and next time I'm here we'll see God's reaction to it.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Well it's kind of almost bitterly ironic that this chapter talks about a drought and that's what we have right now in Ohio. It got up to 98 degrees today and the last rain we got was a very tiny amount on Sunday. Before that, it had been several days if not a week or more. Yards and gardens aren't fairing so well in places, and neither are the cornfields. You take a look around and you'll notice the ground is chapt or cracked here. I don't think we can read too much into that biblically or spiritually, although certainly our nation has drifted pretty far from God and His ways. But at least it will cool down a bit in a couple days if nothing else. My AC is running pretty much nonstop, which probably won't be good for my electric bill.

Anyway, we do have this drought in this chapter and we had the people or the prophet's prayer and plea to God. In this post we're going to look at God's response. Quite honestly it will probably come off as harsh to many. But one must remember that not only does God have feelings, but He also knows if repentance is sincere or if it's just done as ritual to try to get help. God doesn't want ritual. He wants, as it says in Hosea 6:6, our grace or our love. You know, this won't be a perfect analogy, but it is a situation that is probably common to almost everyone. Let's say you have a friend who is in financial trouble. So, let's say they ask you for, we'll make it small and say $20. They say they'll pay you back within a week. So, you loan them $20 and a week goes by and they don't pay you back. A few days later they ask for another $20. You being a friend and knowing their trouble, loan it to them again but remind them they still owe you $20. Another week goes by and they don't pay you back any of the $40 they owe you. A couple of days later they ask for another $20. At some point along the way you're probably going to come to the conclusion that your "friend" is coming to you whenever they need help but isn't too worried about paying you back if you're going to keep giving out money to him freely. So at some point, you're probably going to stop giving money to them.

Now, again that's not a perfect analogy but again it should be common to all. The point here being here we had these children of Judah who were running off constantly to other gods and religions, and then when things got tough, then and only then did they run to their one true Father saying, "God, we're sorry, help us!" Well, God is very loving and patient and He does forgive sin. But you're not going to con Him and He's not there as just a supernatural get out of jail free card or some sort of wish genie. But even with that said, He will forgive sin upon sincere heartfelt repentance, and He will not stay angry forever if one does sincerely repent. With that said, let's get into it.

Jeremiah 14:10 "Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins."

Just like that wild donkey in heat running to any "god" or religion that will take them. God here is basically saying, these people did not stay true to me or my ways. He's kind of even saying that they don't stay with one false religion... they just constantly wander about running to and fro spiritually speaking, looking for any shot of "spirituality" that they can find. I don't know, do you think we have people like that today? I'd say we definitely have people like that today. You know, it's actually kind of sad and if someone is honestly seeking the truth, they will find out, even if in some cases it takes a strong man or woman of God to point them in the right direction. But what's really sad here is that they had everything they really could want and all the blessings imaginable if they would have just stayed true to God and not wandered. But at the same time, even today when you've got so called pastors teaching and feeding not from the Word of God but their own traditions and man made doctrine, then the sheep or flock will wander and scatter. That's why judgment starts at the pulpit. We'll get into some of these so called "prophets" in a few verses here.

Jeremiah 14:11 "Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good."

Whoa! That sounds kind of rough doesn't it? God telling Jeremiah not to pray for these people for their good. Well, one has to understand two things. Again, God knows if someone, even a bunch of someones, are truly sorry and repentant or if they're just playing sorry to be helped. But the other part of this is here again we have these people, part of God's chosen people who have been blessed, who have seen miracles, who have had the stories of God's help and guiding hand passed down to them, the great victories against overwhelming odds and the promises and covenant made to them, and they still went running off to false gods who couldn't do a thing to help them. Wouldn't you be just a little bit disappointed in them and maybe even angry if you were in God's position? Well, naturally He was.

Jeremiah 14:12 "When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence."

Some people unfortunately never really understand that playing religion just doesn't quite cut it. You know, there are some churches, some people, and I'm not judging here, but they look good and proper. I mean they seem to have it down pat. But it's all ritual, it's all even almost rehearsed. Friends, again God was never interested in the ritual of burnt offerings, oblations, or fasting. One can even get down and shave their head and rent their clothing and mourn and put on quite a show. But guess what? Putting on a show is still putting on a show. He wants you to honor and respect and love Him in your heart. He wants to hear from you as His child who when you mess up you come to Him and say, "Father, I'm sorry. I messed up. I let you down Father and I want to do better. When one says that and actually means it, then He can't help but take you in His arms spiritually speaking and say, "Oh my child, I forgive you." But you're not going to play church and go running to Him when things get bad and yell for help and expect Him to come running. In the next post we'll start to get into some false prophets who certainly had a lot to do with this mess. They're still out there today, so be careful.

Jason

Re: Jeremiah
 

Okay, so now we're going to get into some false prophets in this chapter. As I said, we have them today as well. A false prophet or false messenger today is basically the same as a false prophet or false messenger back then. How do you identify them? If they claim to be Christian or have a message from God and it doesn't match up with what's written in His Word, then you've got a false prophet. We're going to identify them pretty much right out the gate in the very next verse, so pay attention.

Jeremiah 14:13 "Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place."

Now right off the bat you should see hopefully one glaring thing wrong with this, if not two. God just said to Jeremiah in the previous verse that He would consume these people through the sword, famine, and pestilence. But here you have these so called prophets saying, "None of that is going to happen. It's going to be fine." Well, they're already in the midst of a terrible drought so those "prophets" are really doing a bang up job aren't they? But beyond that, did you notice they're claiming that they personally will give assured peace? Friends, man can never give lasting peace, only God can. Do you know what these false prophets say today? Oh just believe. Just believe in Jesus, you'll be fine. Friends, believing in Jesus is fine. But when they tell people falsely that they're going to be raptured away and that doesn't actually happen, and the first "Jesus" who shows up to gather them to him is a fake, they're leading people right into Satan's camp! They won't teach the Word as it is written, which says nothing about a rapture but instead says Satan is coming first and the first one taken is taken by him, and they base an entire fly away doctrine off of the subject of Paul talking about where the dead in Christ go. It seems very enticing, because it sounds like a quick and easy way out. But the problem is that it's not biblical.

Jeremiah 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."

You know in a way, at least today and perhaps even back then it is actually quite sad. SOME of them are preachers who mean well. But they get in their head, as a beloved pastor of mine would say, they see a big "GP" up in the sky and thought it meant "go preach" when it actually meant "go plow". The point being, God didn't call them, He didn't send them, and what they are spreading that they think is some divine revelation from God is some puffed up message from Pastor Dan from their seminary. Plain and simple, if they teach something that's contrary to God's Word, it didn't come from God. This is why it is so important that you learn to study for yourself, so you can identify falsehood and false prophets when they are around. A lot of it can sound good. But only God's Word is truly good.
Jeremiah 14:15 "Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed."

Good, bad, or ugly God has a way of fixing and correcting things. And in some cases yes it is sad and it is ugly for some. Now again this is spiritual in a sense in our time at least. But sadly in some ways that's almost worse. Because they're supposed to be the teachers to set their flock on the right path and instead they're going to be totally deceived. When they teach that everyone is going to be raptured away and the first, fake Jesus comes to perhaps claim to do just that, these "pastors" will probably be the first to run to him saying, "Oh Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I've done so much for you and telling my congregation about you." Then what a sad time it will be for them when the real one arrives and they realize they were completely deceived, and passed that deception on to other innocent souls.

Re: Jeremiah
 

Okay, I wanted to try to quickly get a few more verses in here while I could. The first verse actually kind of finishes a thought or subject that was left hanging a little. God has said what would happen to these false prophets who claim that what God has said will happen is not going to be. Now what about the people they're prophesying to?

Jeremiah 14:16 "And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them."

Again this sounds harsh, but again we must remember a couple of things here. Number one this is again at least in our time for the most part spiritual. But we must remember too that they are not innocent either. For one thing, as it stipulates in Deuteronomy 18:21-22, the people were to test the prophets and use the criteria in those two verses to do so. They did not do that. Unfortunately, most today do not do so either. How many people maybe go to church every Sunday without missing and sit right in that front pew, but never really learn anything, and more to the point never really check out in the Word themselves what that man (or woman) behind the pulpit is saying? They can repeat the things from sermons almost verbatim but when it comes to cracking open their bible outside of church they're just a little too busy to do so.

Jeremiah 14:17 "Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow."

Did you know or were you aware that Christ upon His return is expecting a virgin bride spiritually? This is one reason why or actually the reason why in Matthew 24:19 Jesus would say woe to those who are with child and give suck during those days. It wasn't talking about a natural birth or a human baby. It's talking about the fact that spiritually speaking they're not virgins anymore but they went so far spiritually with Satan as the false Christ that they become impregnated spiritually speaking. That will be a woe alright! But it is sad. These people are basically good Christian people who really do love Christ. But when they go to church, they're never taught that the false Christ comes first, and if they are taught that, most of them are taught that it doesn't matter because somehow, even though the false Christ shows up before the true, you're going to magically disappear and teleport out of here and fly away. It's not biblical friends. That's why it is so very important to study for yourself and show yourself approved. Don't take what any pastor says at face value, don't take what I type here at face value. Study for yourself, rightly divide the Word, and test anyone who claims to teach it or have a message from God.

Jeremiah 14:18 "If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

The deception is unfortunately rampant, friends. And you take a look just overall at the world today and tell me how we're doing. We've got people stoned out of their minds on drugs hallucinating and becoming cannibals. We've got kids killing kids, kids killing adults. We've got violent government upheavals in the Middle East. We've got out of control government at home. More sexual immorality and still terrorists out there. I'm not saying that to scare you, I'm not saying that to point out that the world is in need of God. It's in need of Christ. The prophet and the priest should be feeding those sick with spiritual famine and they're not. There's some good ones out there, don't get me wrong. But there's a lot of bad ones who are just as spiritually sick and starving as the people they're supposed to be feeding.

Jeremiah 14:19 "Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!"

Well, there's one place to look for peace and that of course is through Christ and Christ only. No falsehoods, no watered down doctrine. Anything else and yeah, you'll have trouble.

When we finish up this chapter, which I know is taking a while, we'll see Jeremiah's plea, prayer, and confession. Ultimately it acknowledges one key thing and that's that God is the one who can help in times of trouble.

Re: Jeremiah
 

Okay, I wanted to try to quickly get a few more verses in here while I could. The first verse actually kind of finishes a thought or subject that was left hanging a little. God has said what would happen to these false prophets who claim that what God has said will happen is not going to be. Now what about the people they're prophesying to?

Jeremiah 14:16 "And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them."

Again this sounds harsh, but again we must remember a couple of things here. Number one this is again at least in our time for the most part spiritual. But we must remember too that they are not innocent either. For one thing, as it stipulates in Deuteronomy 18:21-22, the people were to test the prophets and use the criteria in those two verses to do so. They did not do that. Unfortunately, most today do not do so either. How many people maybe go to church every Sunday without missing and sit right in that front pew, but never really learn anything, and more to the point never really check out in the Word themselves what that man (or woman) behind the pulpit is saying? They can repeat the things from sermons almost verbatim but when it comes to cracking open their bible outside of church they're just a little too busy to do so.

Jeremiah 14:17 "Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow."

Did you know or were you aware that Christ upon His return is expecting a virgin bride spiritually? This is one reason why or actually the reason why in Matthew 24:19 Jesus would say woe to those who are with child and give suck during those days. It wasn't talking about a natural birth or a human baby. It's talking about the fact that spiritually speaking they're not virgins anymore but they went so far spiritually with Satan as the false Christ that they become impregnated spiritually speaking. That will be a woe alright! But it is sad. These people are basically good Christian people who really do love Christ. But when they go to church, they're never taught that the false Christ comes first, and if they are taught that, most of them are taught that it doesn't matter because somehow, even though the false Christ shows up before the true, you're going to magically disappear and teleport out of here and fly away. It's not biblical friends. That's why it is so very important to study for yourself and show yourself approved. Don't take what any pastor says at face value, don't take what I type here at face value. Study for yourself, rightly divide the Word, and test anyone who claims to teach it or have a message from God.

Jeremiah 14:18 "If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

The deception is unfortunately rampant, friends. And you take a look just overall at the world today and tell me how we're doing. We've got people stoned out of their minds on drugs hallucinating and becoming cannibals. We've got kids killing kids, kids killing adults. We've got violent government upheavals in the Middle East. We've got out of control government at home. More sexual immorality and still terrorists out there. I'm not saying that to scare you, I'm not saying that to point out that the world is in need of God. It's in need of Christ. The prophet and the priest should be feeding those sick with spiritual famine and they're not. There's some good ones out there, don't get me wrong. But there's a lot of bad ones who are just as spiritually sick and starving as the people they're supposed to be feeding.

Jeremiah 14:19 "Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!"

Well, there's one place to look for peace and that of course is through Christ and Christ only. No falsehoods, no watered down doctrine. Anything else and yeah, you'll have trouble.

When we finish up this chapter, which I know is taking a while, we'll see Jeremiah's plea, prayer, and confession. Ultimately it acknowledges one key thing and that's that God is the one who can help in times of trouble.