Book of Jeremiah - Part 17

So greetings, everyone, and welcome to tonight's study. We're going to begin in Jeremiah 30. We have on tap tonight Jeremiah 30 and 31. Two of the most important prophetic chapters in the book of Jeremiah. It's a launch point for many studies. You could write various papers, and I would encourage you to pursue with all the tools we have at hand today. If you have the internet, you have basically the library or the world at your disposal. And in fact, as we shall see here, God told Jeremiah to write the words that he's speaking these two chapters, especially down in a book, which Jeremiah did. So we'll start now in Jeremiah 30 in verse 1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the eternal saying, thus speaks the eternal God of Israel, saying, write you all the words that I've spoken unto you in a book. And so we have before us, I guess, some of those words that he wrote at that time, because these prophecies and these promises are not only in the book of Jeremiah, but they're also in other places as well. And each place complements the other place, showing how the Word of God is a beautiful tapestry woven together, line upon line, precept upon precept, here, little, there, little. We put it all together. We have this glorious, wonderful tapestry of the Word of God. For lo, the days come says the eternal, of course, in the Hebrew, that Yahweh, when He comes to In over the years, decades, in fact, in studying the Word of God, one of the great challenges, especially in prophecy, is to discern that which applies or applied at the present time that it was written, and that which is futuristic, yet to happen. And also, be able to discern between Israel and Judah when he's speaking of—at times, God is speaking of the Northern Kingdom, and at times he's speaking of the Southern Kingdom. So here is Israel and Judah. As you know, they were divided after the death of David, after the death of Solomon, in which Solomon's son, Rehoboam, received the Southern Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, and Jeroboam received the Northern Kingdom. Seth, the eternal, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. Now, there is a duality running in this, to some degree, in that they're going to be taken to Babylon, and after 70 years, they're going to be able to return and build the Second Temple.

But also, running in this is the ultimate and futuristic final fulfillment in which Israel is restored back in the land.

These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. For thus says the Lord, we have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Of course, that time is the time preparing for that great and dreadful day of the Lord, the time of Jacob's trouble, the time of the Great Tribulation. Verse 6, asks you now, and see whether a man does travail with child. And oftentimes, the birth pangs of people are used metaphorically to show how dire and how painful and how trying the situation is going to be. Whether a man does travail with child, wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness. This is the beginning of the day of the Lord. It is the beginning of the day of the Great Tribulation.

Now, for a description of the day of the Lord, the book that focuses almost totally on the day of the Lord is the book of Zephaniah. So we want to go briefly to Zephaniah right now, and see what Zephaniah has to say in Zephaniah chapter 2. And I'll have to turn to it. Zephaniah chapter 2, we have Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah. So toward the end of the Minor Prophets, you will find Zephaniah. Zephaniah chapter 2, woe to her that is filthy and polluted to the oppressing city. And generally, that is speaking of Jerusalem. This is chapter 3. She obeyed not the voice. She received not correction. She trusted not in the Lord. She drew not near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They gnaw at the bones to the marrow, to the very quick. Her prophets are light and treacherous persons. Her priests have polluted the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law. And so it's sort of a summary of how Jeremiah describes the situation there in Babylon before the Babylonian captivity. Now chapter 2 is the chapter that really focuses on the day of the Lord. It is introduced by chapter 1. We want to start in chapter 1 and verse 14. I have to put on my glasses, apparently.

The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens greatly. Even the voice of the day of the Lord, the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble, distress, a day of wasteness, desolation, a day of darkness, and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of the trumpet. Of course, the trumpet would sound the alarm for war and or for victory, depending on the circumstance. A day of the trumpet, alarm against the tent cities, against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord, and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dumb. I think sometimes when we read this, we read it almost from a fairy tale point of view. These words are realistic. They are real. They are literal. That's what's going to happen. This, the verses I'm reading now, they are not metaphorical. They are literal. That's what's going to happen. Neither their silver nor their gold should be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath, but the whole land should be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, or He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

So I encourage you to read all of Zephaniah. Now we go back to Jeremiah, where we left off, in Jeremiah. We read verse 6 again.

In Jeremiah 30 and verse 6, I ask you now to see whether a man travail with a child. We talked about that. Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in travail, and all the faces are turned into paleness. Alas, alas, for the day is great, so that none is like it. And that's why I encourage you to read Zephaniah chapter 1, 2, 3, the whole book. There are only three chapters, because that book is perhaps the book that focuses more on the day of the Lord than any other in a very focused way. It is even the time of Jacob's treble, that he shall be saved out of it. Now we want to talk about Jacob's treble, and Jacob's treble is the Jacob represents all 12 tribes. There were 12 tribes of Israel, as we know, and those 12 tribes, it says the time of Jacob's treble. Now generally, when we have talked about Jacob's treble in the past, we have focused only on Great Britain and the United States, but it says Jacob's trebles. There are 10 other tribes, and of course if you wanted to include Benjamin, which was in league with Judah, then there would be nine other tribes involved in it as well. So the time of Jacob's treble.

So you have all 12 tribes involved in that. A lot of people in there talking about the time of Jacob's treble, they talk about mainly just in terms of Great Britain and the US. In addition to that, many people, many of the commentaries, and many people have historically included the nations of Western Europe as a part of a Roman, a revived Roman Empire. So you have to be careful in deciding what is what in all of that when you're talking about the time of Jacob's treble, because Jacob's treble included all of that. That is all 12 tribes, as we shall see, in all 12 tribes. It is the time of Jacob's treble, and Jacob's treble once again involved all 12 tribes. Continuing here in verse 8, For it shall come to pass, and that day says the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck, and will burst your bonds, and strangers shall more serve themselves of you, of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Of course, we have Jesus Christ, as we talked about last time, is the true David in the sense of the ultimate fulfillment of David. Now David is raised up, and he governs the 12 tribes of Israel, but we also have Jesus Christ. We look back again at Acts chapter 2. In Acts chapter 2, we see that David himself prophesied that Christ would be the one who would sit in his seat. That is, in David's seat.

We start in verse 22 of Acts 2. You men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determinant, counsel, and fore knowledge of God. Notice that the fore knowledge of God, God knew that this was going to take place. God knew that Israel was going to... that the plan of salvation required that Jesus Christ do what he did in dying for the sins of the world. So the fore knowledge of God, God knew that that he was going to be betrayed. Jesus Christ knew that he was going to be betrayed.

That which you do, he told Judas, do you quickly.

Being delivered by the determinant, counsel, and fore knowledge of God, you have taken in by wicked hands of crucified and slain, whom God of the raised, having loosed the pains of death because it was not possible that he should be holding of it. For David speaks concerning him. David was also a prophet. Not only was he a king, he was a prophet, as we see here. David spoke of him, and here's what David said. I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved.

Therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad. Moreover, also my flesh will rest in hope, because you will not leave my soul, my life essence, in hell. So just reading this, you see, if you didn't know that there were different Greek words that are translated hell, in the New Testament you have Hades, you have Tartarou, translated for hell, and you have the Hennim. You have three words that are translated for hell. So you didn't leave my soul, my life essence, in hell. Neither will you suffer your Holy One to be corrupted.

You have made known to me the ways of life. You shall make me full of joy with my countenance.

Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the Patriot David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us, and to this day you might want to put in your margin there John 3.13, because John 3.13 is a critical scripture in showing that you don't go to heaven when you die. It says in John 3.13 that no man has descended into heaven except Jesus Christ, who is now seated at the right hand of the Father. One time he came to the earth and then he's ascended back to the Father. Therefore, being a prophet, that is David, being a prophet, and knowing that God has sworn with an oath that of his the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, would he raise up Christ to sit on his throne. So who sits on the throne of David? Yet David is going to sit on a throne, and we are going to sit on thrones as well under God and Christ. As you read in Revelation 20 verse 4, that he has given us thrones, and we've made us kings and priests. This Jesus, as God raised up whereof, we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received by the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has shed forth this, which you now see in here. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he said himself, the Lord said unto me, under my Lord, sit you on my right hand, showing very clearly that there are two beings in the Godhead. There were two beings in the Godhead in the New Testament. And now you can say of God the Father that as David says, I mean as Christ says in John 17, there is one God the Father. Maybe we want to look at John 17. This is an important verse to understand.

In John 17, John 17.4.

17.3, I'm sorry. And this is life eternal. John 17.3, this is life eternal that they might know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Now, God and Christ were equals, and Christ humbled himself, gave up his glory, and took on the form of a man. And when he did that, he was dependent upon the Father for returning him to the same glory he had before he became a man, as it says in the very next verse. This understanding is so important. I hope we grasp it. I have glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you gave me due.

And now, Father, glorify you, me, with your own glory, with the glory which I had before the world was, or before the world existed, as we know the world, the glory that he had then.

So Jesus Christ gave up his glory. Look at Philippians chapter 2. In Philippians chapter 2, we see that Jesus Christ gave up his glory, and he took on the form of a man.

And just before he died, he said, unto your hands, come in, die you my spirit. And we've just read, he was in the grave, and the Father raised him up. So here we see that he humbled himself in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5, let this mind be you, which was also in Christ Jesus. What was that mind? Here's a description of that mind, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. See, at that point, before he gave up his glory, he was equal with God and had agreed to become the Savior of the world. He is the firstborn among many brethren. So when that process played out of Jesus Christ living in the flesh and dying and being resurrected, he became the firstborn among many brethren in the spiritual sense. Yes, he is God as God is God in the sense of having the power as God, but he is not God. God is still over. He is not God in that sense of taking the place of the Father, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with him, but made himself of no reputation, took on him the form of a servant who was made in the likeness of man. So when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, he became the firstborn of many brethren. And in that form, it is said, we're not ashamed to call him brethren. We are heirs of God and join heirs with Jesus Christ. So just as God the Father is our Father, he is also the Father of Jesus Christ. We'll read that verse in just a moment. We see in John now, we're going back to the Gospel of John in chapter 5. John chapter 5.

And we'll start in verse 21. For the Father raises up the dead. Apparently Jesus Christ plays a role in it. Just like you can say the Father created the world, but he created the world through Jesus Christ. The Father raises up the dead. Apparently Jesus Christ plays a role in it. But of course, he didn't play a role in raising himself up from the dead. The Father raised him from the dead.

For as the Father raises up the dead and quickens, that is, makes alive them, even so the Son is a quicken whom even as he quickens the Son, he quickens whom he will. For the Father judges no mind, but has committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honors not the Son, honors not the Father, which had sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that hears my word and believes on him, that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, thou w'er is coming, and now he is, and the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. He does play a role in it, and they that hear him shall live. For as the Father has life in himself, now here's the key verse, one of the key verses, every verse is a key verse. For as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the Son to have life in himself.

See, for a while he did not have life in himself, as he lived as a man here on the earth. He had life in himself in the sense that he had God's Spirit, since he has life in himself. We will have life in ourselves when we are resurrected. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

So this is a great truth, and not many people really understand it, but if you really understand it, it helps you so much, and some people try to lead you astray with regard to the nature of God, and who he is, and what he is, and who is Jesus Christ, who he is, and what he is.

So we pick it up again in Jeremiah 30 in verse 9. But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

And we talked about David sitting on the throne, and also Jesus Christ sits on the throne.

They don't sit on the same throne occasionally, obviously. Therefore, fear you not, O my servant Jacob, says the Lord, neither be dismayed, O Israel, for, lo, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return. Once again, see, Jacob is all ten tribes. I mean all twelve tribes. Remember that Jacob's name was changed from Jacob to Israel, and Israel means prince of God or prince ruling with God.

Jacob shall return and shall be in rest and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

For I am with you, says the Lord, and to save you, though I make a full end of all nations. Notice that I make a full end of all nations. One of the few places that you will see that the nations are going to be restructured. They want to have the same government system that they have now. They will come under the government of God and Christ and the saints, and I will make a full end of you, but I will correct you in measure. See, Israel's not going to continue on as it is now. They're going to be corrected and will not leave you altogether unpunished. So there is punishment coming in this time of Jacob's trouble and the great tribulation and the day of the Lord. For thus, says the Lord, your bruise is incurable and your wound is grievous.

There is none to plead your cause, that you may be bound up. You have no healing medicines. There's no one to deliver you. There's no way to escape. Of course, that was true of Judah and Benjamin at that time, and it will be true in the greater sense when God intervenes at the end of the age. And all your lovers have forgotten you. They seek you not, for I have wounded you with a wound of an enemy. So God uses Babylon. Babylon was like his battle axe to punish Israel, but in turn, he is going to punish Babylon with the chastisement of a cruel one for the multitude of your iniquity, your lawlessness, because your sins are increased. Why cry you for your affliction? Your sorrow is incurable for the multitude of your lawlessness, because your sins were increased. I've done these things unto you. Therefore, all that devours shall be devoured, and all your adversaries, every one of them shall go into captivity, and they shall spoil. You shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon you will I give for a prey. For I will restore health unto you.

I will heal you of your wounds, says the turtle, because I called you an outcast, saying this, this is Zion, whom no man seeks after. Of course, this is the ultimate restoration. There was a type of restoration under Zerubbabel and Joshua in the building of the Second Temple. In the building of that Second Temple, to a large degree, pointed toward the building of the Church of God. Thus says the eternal, Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, his dwelling places, and have mercy on his dwelling places.

And the city shall be built, Jerusalem be built again upon her own heap, the same place, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving, and the voice of them that make Mary. In contrast to the voice of them not making Mary during the time of the day of the Lord and God's punishment upon Israel and all nations.

I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. They're going to grow into, once again, a mighty nation, in fact, the model nation of the whole earth. Their children also shall be as of four times, and their congregation shall be established before me. And I will punish all that oppress them, and their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governors shall proceed from the midst of them.

In other words, there's not going to be a foreigner reigning over them. There's going to be one of them, and I will cause them to draw near, and he shall approach unto me. For who is this that engages his heart to approach unto me says the eternal, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

And I want to continually remind you from the time that God began to call Israel out of Egypt and their trek to the promised land, and receiving the law at Mount Sinai, what he wanted them to be was the model nation, and through them all the nations of the earth would come into the Israel of God.

That is now passed on to the church. That is the commission to bring all nations into the Israel of God. However, that does not mean that physical Israel would cease to exist because it will not and will be restored and will be a model nation and will help God, Christ, and the saints bring all nations into relationship with God in the millennium.

Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goes forth with fury, continuing whirlwind. It shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return until he have done it and until he have performed the intents of his heart, and in the latter days you shall consider it.

I believe we are entering those days right now and have probably been entering those days for decades. Of course, it has been now like 2,600 years since Jeremiah uttered these words, this prophecy. In this what we have just read, God says, I'm going to punish you, Israel, and I'm going to use other nations to punish you, but I am going to bring you back, and I am going to destroy those nations that punish you, and I am going to build you up as I had intended for you to do before you went astray and broke the old covenant.

And now we come to 31, which is so rich with so many things in it, and it contains the new covenant. So Jeremiah 31, 1, at the same time, says the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, so all 12 tribes, and they shall be my people.

For thus says the Lord, the people which were left of the sword found grace, that is, divine favor, in the wilderness, even Israel, all 12 tribes, when I went to cause him to rest. The Eternal 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. Remember Isaiah—not Isaiah, but Ezekiel 16, where God found Israel as a newborn, had not yet been swaddled, had not been cleaned up of the after birth, and he cleaned them up, and he decked them with jewels, and he treated them as a queen, as it were, and they were his. And so God says, And again I will build you, and you shall be built, virgin of Israel. You shall again be adorned with your tabrays, and shall go forth in dances of them that make merry. You shall yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria.

Of course, Samaria is where the northern kingdom headquartered after the division of the kingdom.

The planters shall plant and shall eat them as common things. And that's interesting—shall eat them as common things. In other words, the rare delicacies that you might think of various fruits and vegetables and nuts and so on will be plentiful, and what might be hard to get and hard to find, and also very costly would be as common things. For there shall be a day that the watchmen upon the mount of Ephraim. Okay, now here we come to another very important thing. The Mount of Ephraim. Ephraim was God's firstborn, because Ephraim was first born, so Israel was God's firstborn. Or you could say because Israel was God's firstborn, Ephraim was God's firstborn. Let's briefly recount that and know that you know that Reuben was Jacob's first born, but Reuben went into one of Jacob's concubines and therefore disqualified himself.

And then Levi and Simeon disqualified themselves because of cruelty, and for a long time the birthright had not been transferred. The birthright transferred in Egypt when Jacob went down, remember, during the famine, and it came the time in which Jacob was about to die, and Jacob told Joseph, call your two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, because I'm going to pass along the birthright. And so Jacob did, I mean, Joseph did call his two sons. Now, as a side note here, we might recall the mother of Joseph. The mother of Joseph was Rachel, and then Rachel had another child and died while giving birth to this child, Benjamin. But then, Joseph was separated from his family, and of course Rachel had died, and now Jacob was in Egypt, and Jacob was about to die, and he was about to pass along the birthright. So he didn't go down the line with firstborn, secondborn, thirdborn, and so on.

So he called for those two sons Manasseh, who was the firstborn, and Ephraim, the secondborn.

Those two children were born by Joseph's Egyptian wife, and the time came to pass the birthright along, and Manasseh was there, and instead of laying hands on Manasseh, Jacob laid hands on Ephraim, and Joseph protested. But Jacob said, oh no, my son, Yamanasseh is going to be a great nation, a great people, but Ephraim should be even greater, and so the birthright was given to Ephraim. Now, the birthright blessings are basically the things that have to do with physical. The Messiah, that stayed with Judah, the spiritual blessings, as you might say. But here's the point at this particular time, when we see Mount Ephraim, oftentimes Ephraim is used for all 12 tribes. It is used generically, in a sense, the way Jacob is. So, here we are in Jeremiah 31, 16. For there shall be a day that the watchman upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise you, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. So you always went up to Jerusalem or Zion, no matter where you lived, because that was where God had chosen to be His dwelling place. For there shall be a day that the watchman upon the Mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise you, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. And, of course, a great scripture in Isaiah 2.4 that we often quote during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles that let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, let us go up to Jerusalem and Zion, and the law shall go forth from from Jerusalem and His word from Zion.

Verse 7, For thus says the Lord, Sing with gladness for Jacob all 12 tribes, and shot among the chief of the nations, Publish you praise, yes, and say, O Lord, save your people the remnant of Israel.

Now, in this study this evening, I'm mentioned it up front for those who are really serious Bible students. Why don't you do a study? Why don't you put in your Bible help, remnant of Israel, and see what comes up and see what the verses say.

The remnant of Israel, the remnant of all 12 tribes. Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the coast of the earth. And when this verse is over, you'll see that it's talking about they're scattered all over the earth. Behold, I will bring them from the north country and gather them from the coast of the earth. And with them the blind and the lame, the woman and child, and her that travails with child together, a great company shall return there.

They shall come with weeping and with supplications, and I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters and straightway wherein they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Now that's written in parallelism.

It could have written, Israel is my firstborn, and it could have written Ephraim is my firstborn.

A lot of prophecy is in what is called poetic parallelism.

Now the part about Ephraim and some of the other tribes and the name Jew, perhaps we should concentrate on that for a few minutes, it came to be that basically the name Jew also would include the other tribes. I'd like for us to go to 2 Chronicles chapter 30. 2 Chronicles chapter 30 will give us the account of a great restoration in Israel. Remember we talked about, actually it's in Judah, remember we talked about a great restoration in Judah under Josiah. Well, there was a great restoration under Hezekiah. Interestingly enough, perhaps the most wicked of all kings came on the heels of Hezekiah, and that was Manasseh. Not the tribe, but the sun, Manasseh. So what had happened, they were cleaning up in the temple area, and they found the law, much like in the days of Josiah, and Hezekiah immediately took to it, and it was about the time for the Passover, and so they began to prepare for the Passover to clean up the temple, and they eventually sent out letters to some of the remnant of Israel that was not taken captive by Assyria. I think one of the things that we overlook is very clear in the Bible.

Much of the northern kingdom was taken captive by the Assyrians, but not all of them were taken.

In fact, you see the, not turning there, but in Luke 2.36, and of the prophetess of the tribe of Asher had been in the temple for decades, awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. But here we have Hezekiah's restoration, and Hezekiah, we're in 2 Chronicles 13, verse 1, and Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah.

Where did he send it? To all Israel and to Judah, and wrote letters to where? To Ephraim and Manasseh. Now this is after the Assyrian captivity, way after.

That they should come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover under the Lord God of Israel. Now what are we talking about here? That those of really that were Judah is of Israel, Benjamin is of Israel, Ephraim is of Israel, Manasseh is of Israel, but Ephraim is the only tribe that received the birthright, and sometimes Ephraim is used to refer to all 10, all 12 tribes. So after they got the temple cleaned up and ready to keep the Passover, they sent out letters up north from Jerusalem to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to Jerusalem to keep the Passover. Verse 2, the king had taken counsel and his princes and all the congregation in Jerusalem to keep the Passover in the second month. The reason they didn't keep it in the first month, they didn't have the temple ready, for they could not keep it at the time because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem, and the thing pleased the king. In all the congregation, they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel from Beersheba even to Dan north to south, in this case south to north, that they should keep the Passover unto the eternal God of Israel at Jerusalem, for they had not done it for a long time in such as it was written, in the sort it was written. So the post the mailman went out with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, You children of Israel, turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. Now be not like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespass against the Lord God of the fathers, and therefore gave them up to desolation as we shall see.

Now be you not stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, entered into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, serve the Lord your God, that the fiercest of wrath may turn away from you. If you turn again unto the Lord your brethren, and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into his hand, into his land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, will not turn away his face from you if you return unto him. So the post passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim, through the country of Manasseh, even Zebulon, and they laughed them to scorn and mocked him. Nevertheless, yet, notice this, nevertheless, different ones of Asher, Manasseh, Zebulon humbled themselves, came to Jerusalem, and that's not all.

Even Ephraim came down, as we shall see. They assembled at Jerusalem, much people to keep the feast of Unleavened Bread, and second month a very great congregation. Verse 15, they killed the Passover. Verse 16, they stood in their place after the manner according the law of Moses.

Seventeen, many in the congregation were not sanctified, so they did a prayer. Verse 18, for the multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh, Eshikar, Zebulon, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the Passover thereof.

Then it was written, but Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, the good Lord pardoned everyone that prepares his heart to see God. And so, Hezekiah prayed, and God accepted the prayer. Now, we in the Restoration, we see, now we want to go to Zechariah, in which, once again, of all the chapters in the Bible that speak of the Restoration in the final sense, perhaps Zechariah 8 is the leading one, because here we will see this name Jew, but see the Restoration did not consist of, as we have read, just Judah and Benjamin, but it consisted of Jacob of Ephraim for all 12 tribes. So, in Zechariah 22, yes, many people in a strong nation shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, and those days shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying. And I take that not to be based on what we have read with regard to Restoration, that it's all 12 tribes that are restored to Jerusalem at the end time.

Maybe a Jew may not be a Jew. We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. So, you need to be careful in what you jump on with regard to what's what in the Bible. Make sure that you put all of the scriptures together as you should. Now we continue with Jeremiah 31. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, we read, verse 9. They shall come with weeping with supplications. I will lead them, I will cause them to walk by the rivers of the waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble. I am a father to Israel, he for him is my firstborn. Hear the word of the eternal O you nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, he that scatters Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock. In other words, I'm going to keep them together. They're not going to be separated. There's not going to be Jeroboam with ten tribes, and Reoboam with two tribes. It's going to be all of them, and I'll keep the flock together. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and bought him back, and rants in him from the end of him that was stronger than he is. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock, and the herd, and their souls shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Now you hear the preachers of the day preach, well, the rapture might take place tonight. No, the rapture is not going to take place tonight or tomorrow night. In fact, the rapture is not going to take place a year from now.

If we understand remotely what it says in the Bible that even after the abomination of desolation is placed, there are 1335 days. It marks a countdown, and furthermore, they have not even yet agreed upon the Jews building a temple on the Temple Mount or an altar. Some say you don't have to have a temple. You only have an altar. But the Second Thessalonians 2 says that the sign of perdition will sit in the temple of God, not in the altar of God, proclaiming that he is God.

Then shall the Virgin rejoice and dance both young and old together, for I will turn their morning into joy, will comfort them and make rejoice over their sorrow. Brethren, I encourage you to read the Bible. Read the Bible. Not make the Bible into a fairy story, and think that you know and know that you know. Let each word sink in deeply. Meditate on it. Contemplate. What does this really mean? When will this happen? How will it happen? Why will it happen? Who will bring it to pass? Well, God, of course. Then shall the Virgin rejoice in the dance, turn their morning to joy, will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow. I will satiate or fill the soul and the priest with fatness. My people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says the Lord. Thus says the Lord. A voice was heard in Rama, lamentation, bitter weeping. Rachel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children because they were not. Thus says the Lord, refrain your voice from weeping, and eyes and tears for your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, and they shall come again from the land and from the enemy. And there is hope in your end, says the Lord, that your children shall come again to their border. I have surely heard Ephraim be moaning himself.

Thus you have chastised me, and I was chastised. As a bullock on a cussing to the yoke, turn you me, and I shall be turned. For you art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed. I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still. Therefore my bowels were troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, says the Lord. Set you waymarks, make your way your high heaps. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way which you went. Turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these your cities. How long will you go about, O you backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. A woman shall compass a child, or a man. Now this, the commentary is really go wild over this verse here. The most plausible explanation that I know of with regard to this, a woman shall compass a man.

In the womb of Mary, Jesus Christ, and I believe you'll see this in the verses below, in the womb of Mary, a man was compassed by a woman.

Because Jesus Christ was in the womb of the woman, and a man was compassed by the womb of a woman.

Thus, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, as yet they shall see this speech. Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God after all, afar off?

I think that's another thing that we are guilty of. I think we're all guilty of it. That God is with us. His Spirit is in us. The hairs on our head are numbered. He's not a God afar off. He knows our down sitting, our uprising, all of that He knows. Is God a God afar off? Great question. Can any hide Himself in secret places? But I shall not see Him, says the Lord. Do not I feel the heaven and the earth, says the Lord. Of course, that is the omnipresence of the Lord. Ever present.

Oh, I meant the wrong place. I'm sorry.

Jeremiah 31, 23, I'm right, please. Thus, says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, as yet they shall use their speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity, the Lord bless you, O habitation of justice, mountain of holiness, and there shall dwell Judah itself in all the cities thereof, together, and I shall bring again their captivity, the Lord bless you, O habitation of justice, and mountain of justice, speaking of Jerusalem, and there shall dwell in Judah itself and in all the cities thereof, together, husband, and they that go forth with flocks, shepherds, in other words, for I have satuated the weary soul, and have replenished every sorrowful soul. Oh, if we could have all sorrow taken away tonight, wouldn't that be wonderful? Upon this I awake and behold, and my sleep was sweet unto me. As old the days come, says the Lord, that I will so remember from—I don't know if you remember this or not—I covered this in a Bible study of minor prophets a long time ago—that God so's destruction, or he can destroy—so, restoration.

In the first chapter of Hosea, he sows destruction. The word for so is Jezreel. I will so Jezreel destruction, or I will so Jezreel restoration. In this case, he's sowing Jezreel restoration. I will so restoration the house of Israel and the house of Judah, and the seed of man with the seed of beasts. In other words, I'm going to put man and beast back in the land. It shall come to pass like as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict. So will I watch over them to build, and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall say, No more the fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge, but every one shall die of his own iniquity. This sounds like almost like the hundred-year period described in Isaiah 65.

The center shall die occurs, said 100 years old.

There's not a hundred-year period after the millennium, I guess you know that.

It might be more than a hundred-year period after the millennium, but not as we quit teaching that a long time ago. For his own iniquity, every man that eats the 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 the covenants that are made with the fathers, and the day that I 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 Lord.

We're going to pause there tonight. I've gone a little bit over. I want to talk about that next time, that new covenant in great detail. Also, who was married to Israel. That should be easy for you to answer. Who was married to Israel. Was it God, the father, or was it the word, the one who became Jesus Christ, the son? We'll talk about that in other facets of the new covenant as we continue next time. So we'll take up next time at Jeremiah 31.33. Very important area to begin.