The Book of Jeremiah - Part 13

We are beginning in Jeremiah 23 and verse 1. Jeremiah 23 and verse 1. As we have said several times, that in Jeremiah the prophecies are not given in chronological order. They are scattered throughout in various chronological times and under the words to various kings, and I hope you have remembered Josiah, Johoahas, Jo-ho-ah-chem, Jehoachin, and Zedekiah, the last five kings of Judah.

And of course, Josiah brought about a great restoration during his reign, but then all of his sons and grandsons that came after him were evil people. So in Jeremiah 23 verse 1, woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture, says the eternal. The prophets, the priests of that time, were prophesying falsely, and of course, it could apply to us today. Therefore, thus says the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people, ye have scattered my flock, have driven them away, have not visited them. Now that word visit is not what we think of visiting as going over to somebody's house and spending time with them, which that should be done in some cases with pastors. It used to be in the church that pastors were required. This goes back to the late 60s and early 70s. I know when I first started on the visiting program that we were to do 12 to 16 visits a week and send in a report. At that time, the headquarters there in Pasadena was being flooded with prospective members, people desiring to visit, people desiring to know more about the truth, people desiring to be baptized, and of course, the culture and everything has changed so dramatically since then. This word here that is translated as you have not visited is the word paucaud. It means to number. It's 119 times it's translated as number visit 59 times, punished 31. But in this context, it means to pay attention, to observe, to care for, to look out for, to attend to, to seek out. God is saying the prophets, the priests, and as I said, it could apply to us today. I've not taken care of them, have not really been aware of their needs and taken care of their needs. You have scattered my flock, have driven them away, have not visited them. Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, says the Eternal. Now we get to verse 3, and verse 3 has a duality to it, and maybe even more than a duality. In Jeremiah 23 in verse 3, and I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them.

Now there was a promise that those who were to go into captivity under the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, Chaldeans, would be able to return to the land after a certain period of time. But that is one restoration where that group of people came back and they built the Second Temple. There's also a type of restoration going on at the present time in which the Jews now have the modern state of Israel, and the cry for a state began back in the 1800s with Benjamin Disraeli and some of the people in England.

There was the British Israel movement, and finally the Balfour Declaration was passed, and the Middle East part portions of the Middle East became a British protectorate. And then after World War II and the advent of the United Nations, Israel, the people there in what is now called Palestine, applied for membership in the UN. The UN passed a resolution in November of 1947 allowing the Jews to return to Palestine, and that resolution called for a a two-state solution, an Israeli state and an Arab state, with Jerusalem being internationalized. The Arabs rebelled against that resolution, and in May of 1948 they launched an attack on Israel, and the war of 1948 ensued in which Israel won and became recognized as a nation.

They did not have full membership status in the UN. They eventually gained an observer status. So that restoration is taking place, which seems necessary for prophecy to be fulfilled in the sense that you have the prophecy in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, where one sits in the temple of God, the son of perdition, saying that he is God. God and he exalts himself above all gods, as it says in Daniel chapter 11 and also Revelation 13.

He claims that he is God, and the people of the earth are deceived into worshiping him. He has been given his seed and authority by Satan the devil. So that we have that restoration going on, and before that one sits in the temple of God and sets up the abomination of desolation, the Jews are going to offer sacrifice.

Temple worship will be restored as under the old covenant. This is what we have understood for years, and we have Daniel 11 in verse 31, which talks about the time of the abomination of desolation being set up after the sacrifice ceases. Then in Matthew 24, verse 15, in the Olivet prophecy, Jesus Christ references that Daniel 11.31 and says, the words of Daniel the prophet in which he said that from the time that once you see the abomination of desolation set up in the holy place, of course, that will be a time to flee.

And then after that time of fleeing, which is covered in verses 16 through 20, you have in Matthew 24, 21, the abomination of desolation. So I wanted to review that for you. Hopefully you understand that in Daniel 12, once the abomination of desolation is set up, a countdown begins. And it says, blessed to see that comes to the 1335 days. So we have the restoration that took place under the hands of Joshua the High Priest and Zerubbabel beginning in 538 BC after the decree issued by Cyrus the Great. But that temple was not dedicated until 515 BC. Then the Romans came and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD.

And so Jerusalem has been without a temple for now almost 2,000 years. But once again, the prophecy in 2 Thessalonians says that this one will sit in the temple proclaiming that he is God. Then the greatest restoration will take place at the beginning of the millennium. And this is more what Jeremiah is talking about here. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries where I have driven them.

So let's notice this. Now, this people, especially the fundamentalists today, talk about supporting Israel. Blessed is he that blesses Israel and curses Israel and how the Jews are God's chosen people and all of that. Part of that is true, but the ultimate restoration comes at the beginning of the millennium.

Now it says whether I have driven them or where I've driven them, into all the countries. Now look at Amos chapter 9. Oseh Joel Amos. The last chapter of Amos.

In verse 8, Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, saying that I will not utterly destroy the house of Judah or Jacob. I'm sorry, the house of Jacob. Now once again, when you see a house of Jacob, Jacob is used oftentimes generically for all 12 tribes because Jacob had 12 sons. He became the 12 tribes, which became the nation of Israel. And we know that the kingdom was divided at the death of Solomon, with the northern kingdom being under Jeroboam and the southern kingdom being under Reoboam. For lo, I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the centers of my people shall die by the sword, which say the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. Now what was going on during Jeremiah's day when the false prophets were saying that since the temple is here, we don't have anything to worry about. We have the Levitical priesthood here. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. We have all of this here. God's not going to destroy this, but of course they were sadly wrong. Now notice this again. I'm going to read 10 again. All the centers of my people shall die by the sword, which say the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. Of course, there will be scoffers in the last days saying, where is the promise of his coming, as it says in 2 Peter chapter 3. In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that has fallen, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old. What is the tabernacle of David?

We'll see very clearly from Acts 15 in just a moment. See the great grand recipe of the great grand restoration that will be culminated in the millennium starts with the church.

In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, verse 12, that they may possess the remnant of Edom. Now, a lot of commentaries say that they believe this is the translation to Edom instead of Adam is a mistranslation. It depends on vowel points. If the vowel point was one point this way or the other, you would have Adam instead of Edom. When we read this quote by James, the Lord's brother, from Acts 15, we will see that it is for all the nations.

And whether it doesn't really matter because the truth is that all nations will be eligible, that they may possess the remnant of, I'm going to say, all nations, and of all the heathens, even it says here, of all the heathen, the ethnos, in Greek it's ethnos, of all the non-Jews, everybody, all nations, which are called by my name, says eternal, that does this. Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that the plowmen shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed, and the mountain shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel. They shall build the waste cities, similar to Isaiah 61, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and drink wine thereof. They shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. Now I will plant them upon the land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of the land, which I have given them, says the Lord your God. So that, of course, is that restoration that begins at the beginning of the millennium. Now the restoration that God is wanting, and what he wants is for all people to become the Israel of God. Now that has started with the Church. Now we go to Acts 15. As we turn to Acts 15, I shall briefly rehearse. Remember that the great seal of the covenant, Abraham, was that of circumcision, that all of Abraham's offspring, and of course they had Ishmael and they had Isaac, and all of his household, that they were circumcised. And for the Jews, throughout the centuries, the great hallmark of righteousness was to be circumcised physically. So when the Apostle Paul comes on the scene, and it becomes apparent that the Holy Spirit is going is made available not only to the Jews, but to the nations. Remember in Acts 10 that the Apostle Peter goes to the house of Cornelius, and the Holy Spirit falls upon them, the Gentiles, the house of Cornelius. And so the Apostle Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus. He was on the way to persecute those who believed in Christ. And you know the story of his conversion. So he went out and he evangelized and preached to settle the matter. And so different ones spoke, and I'm going to pick it up here in Acts 15, 13. And after they had held their peace, Paul had spoken to the Lord. And after they had held their peace, Paul had spoken, James answered, saying, Me and him, brethren, hearken unto me. Simon hath declared how God had the first to visit the Gentiles, which I reference of going to the house of Cornelius in Acts 10, to take out of them a people for his name, and to this agree the words of the prophets he's going to quote. This agrees to the words of the prophet. The tabernacle of David will be built, will be raised up. Where does it begin? It will be a tabernacle for all nations, kindred, races, tongues. After this, I will return. We'll build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up.

Then the residue of men that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the nations, all the nations, all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, who does all these things, known unto God, or all his works, from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God. But then he names the things that they are to abstain from, and circumcision is not required. So the final restoration begins with the Church of God. And, brethren, we have been called into that Church. The mission of the Church is to bring all peoples into a relationship with God and Christ, and each member of the body of Christ, as we've read here in Acts 15-17, that the residue of man might seek after the Lord. There will be in the millennium also the physical restoration of Judah and Israel, and they shall become one nation, one stick, together.

This is also covered in Jeremiah as well. But before we go there with the physical restoration, also want to look at Jeremiah 24, because Jeremiah 24 has what's almost identical to Jeremiah 3 and 4 about the restoration of Israel. So amidst the great doom and gloom, you might say of Jeremiah's prophecy, or these prophecies and assurances and promises from God of restoration. In Jeremiah 24, we see two verses here that are very similar to Jeremiah 23, 3 and 4. In Jeremiah 24, verse 6, And I will set mine eyes upon them for good, I will bring them again to the land, I will build them and not pull them down, I will plant them and not pluck them up, and I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, and they shall return unto me with their whole heart. So very similar to what we hear in Jeremiah 23 and verse 3. So let's talk a moment about the physical restoration. Look at Jeremiah 31. In Jeremiah 31, about the physical restoration of Israel.

At the same time, says the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, all 12 tribes, and they shall be my people.

Thus says the Lord, the people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause them to rest. The Lord has appeared of old unto me, saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving kindness, have I drawn you. Again, I will build you, and you shall be built, O Virgin of Israel. You shall again be adorned in the tabards, and you shall go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

Now verse 7, for thus says the Lord, Sing with the gladness of Jacob, shout among the chief of the nations, Publish you praise, yes, and say, O Lord, Save the people, the remnant of Israel. In a moment we'll talk about the remnant. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, Gather them from the coast of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame and the women with child, and her that travails with child, together a great company shall return there. They shall come with weeping with supplications. While I lead them, I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first born. Now Ephraim, when you see the name Ephraim like that, it is used generically for the northern kingdom. At the beginning of the history of, especially when going out of Egypt and into the promised land, Ephraim was the leading tribe of the twelve tribes. And as you recall, when they came into the promised land, the tabernacle was pitched at Shiloh in Ephraim.

But God rejected the tabernacle of Ephraim and placed it in Judah. Now some of the things that we're covering here this evening, I hope you can grasp and understand, because if you can, the Bible can become so much clearer, plainer, and consistent. Look at Psalm 78. Psalm 78 recounts the history of Israel, the ups and downs that they had of God, allowing them to go into captivity because of their disobedience, and then him delivering them after a period of time. In Psalm 78, we pick it up in verse 65. Psalm 78, 65.

Then the Lord awakened as one out of his sleep like a mighty man that shouts by reason of wine, and he smote his enemies in the hind parts. He put them to a perpetual report. Moreover, listen to this. He refused the tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim. Ephraim was the first born in the sense that he received the birthright privileges. Remember when Joseph brought his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, before Jacob. Manasseh was the first born, but as you recall, Jacob laid his hands on Ephraim. Joseph protested, but Jacob said, No, my son, this is the one who will get the birthright. He got the birthright and the physical blessing, but he did not get the messianic blessing and the fact that God chose Judah over Ephraim and Christ sprang out of Judah, as we shall see. So he chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount Zion, which he loved. Of course, David had his headquarters in Mount Zion. In Mount Zion, Zion is a type of the church. Remember Hebrews 1222, that you have come to the Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn.

So Zion is a type of the church, and he built his sanctuary like high places like the earth, which he has established forever. He chose David also, his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds. From following the ewes great with young, he brought them to feed Jacob his people in Israel, his inheritance. So this Judah, this Israel of God, is to be the leading one in feeding, especially in the spiritual sense. So he fed them according to his integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

So hopefully you're beginning to see the great wonders and unity of the Bible. In Jeremiah 31, 27, 33, Jeremiah 31, 27, and 33.

Behold, the day has come, says the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. So a restoration of both man and beast. Remember the millennial scene in which the ox will eat it. The lion will eat hay like the ox, and the child will lay down with the lion.

And it shall come to pass, like as I have watched over them, to pluck up and break down, and to throw down, and destroy, and to afflict. So will I watch over them to build, and the plant says, Lord, in those days they shall no more say no more. The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity. Every man that eats a sour grape his teeth shall be set on edge. Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not according to covenant that are made with the fathers, and the day that it took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant they broke. Although I was a husband unto them, says the eternal. And here we see some people will say, well, there really wasn't like a marriage relationship. Here God likens himself. Christ was the one that was married to Israel to a husband. But this shall be the covenant that it will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law into their inward parts and write it in their hearts, and it will be their God, and they shall be my people. You see, that has begun with the church as well. God is writing his law on our inward parts, and we are to be the model nation, that is, the holy nation, to bring all peoples into a relationship with God and Christ.

Israel in the flesh was given that duty until Christ came on the scene and raised up the church. Now it has passed on to the church. Let's go to 1 Peter 2. Verse 6, Behold, also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone. Of course, this is quoting from Isaiah 28.16, and that chief cornerstone is Jesus Christ, elect, precious, and he that believes on him shall not be confounded, and therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed. The same is made the head of the corner. Of course, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, as it says in several places in Paul's writings.

And a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense even to them, which stumble at the word which, being disobedient, were unto also they were appointed.

But you are a chosen generation. This is you. This is the church, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Yes, the church is called a holy nation, a purchased people, a nation of God, that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, which in times past were not a people you were loami, but are now the people of God your ami, which had not obtained mercy, lo, ruhama, but now have obtained mercy, ruhama. Dear beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstained from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, having your conduct honest among the nations, whereas they speak against you as evildoers. They may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. Back in the, starting in the 70s and 80s, 70s, we had a dig in Jerusalem where students would go there and participate in archaeological dig there at the foot of the temple mount on the south end toward the valley of Hinnom and uncovering the city of David. And then we eventually developed projects around the world. I visited some of those projects in Jordan, in Israel, and in also in Thailand, and also in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the Secretary of the Interior told me, he says, we don't want your money, but we want to know the know-how, how you produce what you produce. And we established there in Sri Lanka a mini-ambassador of college in an old tea plantation upon a mountain in a little town called New Aurelia. And so there was a powerful witness that went out of what can be achieved by living God's way. A lot of people say, why do we want to waste this money? Why don't we do this? Why don't we do that? One of the main ways to preach the gospel is through the example that is set. So there will be, of course, a physical restoration of Israel, with Israel and Judah being joined together. Let's look at Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36 and verse 9. Ezekiel 36 and verse 9.

This matter of restoration is so important to end-time prophecy and to understand the sequences of the restoration and what our role is in it. God is looking to us now to set the example to be the model nation. We're called a holy nation, and if we have begun building up the tabernacle of David, which was fallen down, and God wants all nations everywhere to become a part of the Israel of God. We'll look at Jeremiah 36 and verse 9. Jeremiah 36 and verse 9.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoakim. Remember that how it goes, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoakim, Jehoachin. It came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month that they proclaimed it fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem. Then read Baruch in the book of the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the chamber of Jamaria, the son of Shaphan, the scribe in the higher court at the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house in the ears of all the people.

When Mitch and Niah, the son of Jamaria, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book of the words, then he went into the king's house in the scribe chambers and lo, all the princes, sat there. I'm not going to name all them. In 13, then Mitch and Niah declared unto them all the words which he had heard when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. Therefore, all the princes sent Jehudiah, Jehudiah, the son of Nehemiah, the son of Sheol, Sheol-Miah, the son of Cushiah unto Baruch, saying, Take your hand upon the Reoh, when you have read in the ears of people and come. So Baruch came. And so they read that in the ears of all the people.

And you can read the rest of the chapter there, that eventually that Israel and Judah become one stick together. I want to go now to I was reading from the wrong place right there.

I'm sorry about that. But now I want to read if you're at Ezekiel where I turn, ask you to turn to Ezekiel 36. In Ezekiel 36, I want us to be there. Ezekiel 36 and verse 9.

For behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

And I will multiply men upon you all the house of Israel, even all of it, and the city shall be inhabited, and all the waste shall be built.

And I will multiply upon you men and beasts, and they shall increase and bring fruit.

And I will settle you after your own estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Yes, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel, and they shall possess you, and you shall be the inheritance, and you shall no more henceforth be removed of men. Thus says the Lord, behold, they send you your land of ours of men, and have been bereaved the nations. And he goes on to say that you will, that they will be devoured. So God is going to restore Israel and Judah. And you look at verse 26 there, a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit, and I will put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. Of course, this shows that there will be a resurrection of, as you read about in chapter 37, a resurrection to physical life, and Israel and Judah will be restored. So now we go to chapter 37, verse 15. The word of the Lord came unto me saying, Moreover, you son of man, take you one stick, and write upon it for Judah and for the children of Israel his companions. Then take another stick and write upon it for Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions, and join them one to another into one stick, and they shall become one in my hand. So that restoration is going to take place in the millennium as well. Now, as we've already said, but I want to say more about this. It is so important that we understand that the tabernacle of David is being raised up already through the church of God and that we have a part in that, and that it is for all nations. So now I want us to go to Romans chapter 9. In Romans chapter 9, the first part of the chapter, Paul maimones the fact that more of the Israelites have not responded to the gospel. Verse 3 says, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according the flesh, who are Israelites, to who pertains the sonship. Almost every place where you see adoption in Paul's writing, it's a sonship. We are literally sons of God because we are the same essence as God in Christ. We have that essence in us and will be that essence in resurrection and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the law and the service of God and the promises, whose are the fathers and of whom is concerning the flesh, Christ came. So Christ came to his own, to the Jews, to Judah and his own, received him not. So he came to them, who is over all, that is Christ God bless forever. Now verse 6, which seems like a contradiction, not as though the word of God has taken, not as the word of God has taken non-effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel. Well, what does that mean? That means that all nations, all nations, are to be included in the Israel of God, neither because they are the seed of Abraham. Of course, we have gone through the heresy in this area of those who claim that you have to be the seed of Abraham in order to be converted and receive the Holy Spirit.

I sat down and talked with one of those people one day, and in essence pleaded with him, showing him plainly the Scriptures here in Romans chapter 9, neither because they are the seed of Abraham, just because you are descended from one of the twelve tribes, doesn't automatically make you better than anybody else, because when it comes to spiritual things, it is of the Spirit and not of the flesh. That is, they which are of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Now, why would the children of promise be counted for the seed? It is because Isaac was born of faith, a promise. See, Abraham and Sarah were past the age of childbearing when God appeared to them and said that they were going to be able to bear a child, and that that child would be the son of promise. And so, through faith, Abraham acted and Sarah conceived, and she was able to bear a child, Isaac. And so, we are of promise. We are of faith. We have been chosen because of God's grace at this time. The mission of the Church is to bring all peoples into a relationship with God. Now, go to Galatians 6, that they may be what it says here in Galatians chapter 6, and we'll read verse 15 as we read into Galatians 6. Galatians 6, 15, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything. So, one of the great problems in Galatia was that they had false teachers there saying you had to be circumcised in order to be justified. That's one of the things that led to the conference that we read about in Acts 15. But for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. For as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy upon the Israel of God. See, everyone that is converted, regardless of their ethnic background, will be part of the Israel of God. See, that is the great goal. That is what is going to come to fruition in the millennium and thereafter. That is, that everyone who's ever lived will have an opportunity to become a part of the Israel of God. So, once again, God's family and God's ultimate goal is to bring all families of the earth into the Israel of God. Now, let's look back a few pages to Galatians 3, which sort of summarizes to a large degree much of what we have said so far this evening. We have talked about restorations that came after the Babylonian captivity and the building of the Second Temple. We have talked about restoration that is occurring now, with the Jews going back to Jerusalem and there being a nation of Israel. We've talked about a temple being built there and sacrifices being offered, and suddenly this son of perdition causes the sacrifices to cease. The abomination of desolation is set up, and we've talked about more, the great restoration that is taking place beginning with the Church of God, the Israel of God. So, in Galatians 3, and we'll start in verse 14, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the nations. You see, Genesis 12.3 gives that great promise that through your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

And, of course, we have talked about the blessings of physical blessings and the blessings of spiritual blessings. See, all the nations of the earth have not been blessed physically.

Many of the Israelite-ish nations have been blessed physically, but all the nations of the earth have not been blessed physically and are not being blessed physically now. And, of course, it seems that with this pandemic that has upon us that none of the nations of the earth are being blessed, because God, it's similar to what happened in Genesis 6, where the thoughts and intents and the heart of man was continually upon evil, and God said, I'm fed up with this, can't stand it anymore, I'm going to intervene. And so God is trying to get our attention as never before. Continuing here, that the blessings of Abraham might come on the nations through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. See, Isaac was the son of promise. He was born through faith. Brother and I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed no man dissing all or adds there unto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said, not unto seeds, it's the seed of Abraham. That one seed, that one seed, that one seed is Christ. And to seed as of many but as of one unto your seed, which is Christ. Christ is that seed from Abraham through which all the nations of the earth are blessed. Now you look at verse 25. But after that faith has come, we're no longer under a schoolmaster, for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. You repent, you exercise faith in sacrifice of Christ, you're baptized, you receive the laying on of hands, God has removed your sins as far as the east is from the west, you're now a part of the Israel of God. For as many as of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither bond or free, there's neither male nor female, but you're all one in Christ Jesus.

And if you be in Christ, if you be in Christ, then are you Abraham's seed. See, this is spiritual. The inner you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise, the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. So we see that the key for bringing all peoples of the earth into the Israel of God centers on Christ. He is the branch that is spoken of by Isaiah, by Jeremiah, Zachariah, and we are going to look now. We go back to Jeremiah chapter 23. Brother, I hope you will think long and hard about what we have covered here this evening with regard to that, so that you know and you know that you know. So we will pick it up in three. I will gather the remnant of my flock out of the countries where I have driven them. We have talked about that from Amos and from other chapters in Jeremiah.

And we'll bring them again to their bowls, and they shall be fruitful and increase.

And I will set up shepherds over them, which shall feed them, and they shall fear no more or be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, says eternal. Now notice this verse, Behold, the days come, says the Lord. Remember what I said? The key for bringing all peoples of the earth into the Israel of God centers on Jesus Christ and his role. Of course, the Father is intimately involved in directing the role, but Jesus Christ has to fulfill the role that he has agreed to fulfill.

I will raise up a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. This is the reign of Christ and the saints and the millennium. In his days, Judaism shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. We've read scriptures about them dwelling safely. This is the name whereby he shall be called. This is very important. The name whereby he shall be called The Yave, Our Righteousness. So here is a verse that shows that some places in Scripture, Yave refers to Jesus Christ.

Of course, people have gotten all upset in saying this and that and the other about the names of God. But here's a place clearly where Yave refers to Jesus Christ.

Let's notice how the branch is identified. Look at Zechariah 3 verse 9. For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua upon one stone shall be seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave the engraving thereof. And the Lord of Hosts saith the Lord of Hosts, I will remove the iniquity of the land in one day.

In that day shall the Lord of Hosts shall you call every man his neighbor under the vine, and under his fig tree. Now notice what Zechariah prophesies with regard to the work of Jesus Christ, the branch, in chapter 6. In chapter 6, beginning in verse 12. I want to read verse 8 again.

I don't think I made it clear. Zechariah 3, 8, Hear now, O Joshua, the high priest, you and your fellows that sit before you, for they are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth my servant, the branch. Now what will the branch do? You look at Zechariah 6, verse 12, and it tells you what he will do. And speak unto them, saying, thus speaks the eternal host, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the branch, and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.

Even he shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Between priest, that is the spiritual religious side, and his throne, the governmental, the civil side of the rule, of course, under the millennium, church and state will be combined. Now notice what the branch does. The branch, he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Now go quickly to Matthew 16 and verse 18. Matthew 16 verse 18, with Jesus Christ speaking in Matthew 16 and verse 18. And I say unto you that you art Peter, Petros, a little rock. Upon this rock, Peter, a big rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell, the gates of the grave, Hades, shall not prevail against it.

So we see that Jesus Christ is the branch, and here in Jeremiah chapter 23 and verse 5, he is referred to as Yahweh, the righteous one. So we go back to Jeremiah 23 again.

Jeremiah 23, once again, and we see that verse. Verse 6, In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and his name whereby he shall be called the Yahweh, our righteousness. Now, back in June or July of 2019, I gave a sermon titled The Angel of God's Presence. And the key scriptures, I want us to turn there, Exodus 23 verse 20. Exodus 23 and verse 20.

In Exodus 23 and verse 20, Behold, I send an angel before you, and once again, with regard to angel, angel can refer to a human being or it can refer to a spirit being. The Hebrew word for angel is malak, and so, Behold, I will send my malak to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him.

Whose name is in him? Yahweh's name. My name is in him. Don't provoke him, or he will not forgive your transgressions. There are only two beings in the universe who have power to forgive sin.

Those two beings are God the Father and Jesus Christ. There's a scripture in the Gospels that says, don't you know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sin? And so, it is through the sacrifice of Christ that our sins are forgiven. Once again, notice my name is in him. We have just read from Jeremiah 20-36, the Lord, the Yahweh, my righteousness. My name is in him, but if you shall indeed obey his voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy unto your enemies, and adversary unto your adversaries, for mine angels shall go before you, and bring you into the Amorites, the land of the Amorites, Hittites, and Parezites. King Nites have its heavy sights, and I will cut them off, and you shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them, and break down their images. So we see that the name of God, Yahweh, is in the one who became Jesus Christ. So the key to all the peoples becoming a part of the Israel of God resides in Christ fulfilling the role that God has so graciously assigned to him, and the role which the word humbled himself, and was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

So I didn't get nearly as far as I thought I would get tonight with regard to this. I have much more here to say with regard to these verses here, along with the verses in Jeremiah 24, 6, and 7. So we will take up next time at this point. We will briefly review Jeremiah 23 and verse 6, and go on from there.