Friday, April 29, 2022
Ezekiel 28:14
Friday, April 29, 2022 |
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
In our extended reading, verses 13-19, we have a passage of punishment against the angel "Lucifer," who God created and positioned as an "anointed cherub," verse 14. Lucifer was the one who the Lord placed over all that He had created.
This is information that will help us to understand the "fall of Lucifer" and his punishment as the "adversary," the Devil, that old serpent, Satan.
There are several things to notice in our reading. Lucifer was in the Garden of Eden and he was there after his creation which took place on the first day of creation, right after Jesus created the "heavens" and before He created the "earth," Genesis 1:1, Job 38:4 and 7 and Ezekiel 28:13-14.
Notice the synonymous terms in this passage, the "Garden of Eden" and the "Holy Mountain of God." These two phrases refer to the same location.
It was in the Garden of Eden that Lucifer revealed the iniquity in his being and allowed "pride" to bring this most prominent of all "created angels" to a place where the Lord would cast him out of the Holy Mountain of God, verse 16.
We know, by the text, that Lucifer was beautiful. Possibly the most beautiful creature created by Jesus, verse 17. The "beauty" of Lucifer is a key factor in the downfall of this angelic "superstar." A parallel passage that deals with the downfall of Lucifer is Isaiah 14:12-15.
In this prophetic passage from Isaiah we see that the "pride" of Lucifer, this most beautiful of all creatures, was what made manifest the sin within. In this passage Lucifer used the phrase, "I will."Lucifer would exercise his "free will" to his own detriment, his downfall.
Revelation 12:3-4 gives us the understanding that when Lucifer rebelled against the Lord, one-third of all angels created also rebelled and were cast out of the "third heaven" and into the "first heaven" above us, where the sun and clouds are located, Ephesians 6:12.
The study of "angels" is very significant in the study of Bible prophecy. As was the case at the first coming of Christ, so also will be the case in His Second Coming. Angels, both good and bad angels, play a key role in the events of the last days. (See my CD audio series on "Angels")
The practical aspect of this devotion is that we must know the enemy, Satan, and also what brought about his downfall, from his position of prominence. It was "pride" that brought Satan down. We must run from "pride," and to the Lord.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me Lord to flee from pride as I serve You, realizing that every good and great thing comes from You and You alone.
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Ezekiel 20:42
Thursday, April 28, 2022 |
And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers.
For further study - Ezekiel 20:33-44
Our key verse for today, verse 42, is written to the Jewish people and reveals how the Lord will be known among the Jewish people in the last days. However, this verse is only part of the message from the Lord to the Jewish people in the last days.
Let me draw your attention to some key points in our devotional reading for today. Verse 33 tells us of the Lord God as the "mighty God of the Jewish people who will rule over His chosen people." The Lord tells them that in a day future from when Ezekiel received this message to pass along to the Jews, "in that day future He will gather the Jews from all of the countries where they had been scattered."
This statement focuses the prophecy's fulfillment on a time after the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70AD when the Jews were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Verses 35 and 36 speak of the time when the "Jews come back into the land of their forefathers." It talks also of how the Lord will "plead with them face to face" so they will turn to Him as their Messiah, Lord and Savior.
What I have just mentioned and what you have just read is a scenario that seems to be unfolding even as I sit writing this devotional. For the last 100 years plus, there have been Jews from over 100 nations of the world who have returned to the land of their forefathers, Israel.
They are now in the land, "the wilderness," and with all that has been happening to the Jewish people of modern-day Israel, it seems that the Lord is indeed pleading with them "face to face."
The Lord will bring the Jews to a place where they will turn to Him and no longer "pollute His holy name" but become His people. This point of turning to the Lord and the building of His Temple, verse 40, on His "holy mountain," the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is still in the future but will happen based upon the prophecies that He has already fulfilled from this passage.
One final thing to notice, as this happens and continues to happen until all the prophecies of this passage are fulfilled, not only will the Jews know that He is the Lord, but all of mankind will recognize that, as well, if they will only pay attention to what is happening in our world today, especially in the Middle East.
We must share with others the story of Israel and God's plan for them as revealed in prophecy, prophecy that is being fulfilled, even today. That story will lift up the Lord and draw men unto Him.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Dear Lord, keep me busy sharing with others Your work among Your people today and how it fits into the end of times scenario found in the Bible.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Ezekiel 8:12
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 |
Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? For they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
For further study - Ezekiel 8:1-18
The key verse, verse 12, in our extended reading for today is the Lord telling Ezekiel that the "house of Israel" had committed sin both privately, "every man in the chamber of his imagery," and also publicly.
The children of Israel were acting as if the Lord had forsaken the earth and He had no way to see them. As we read the entire eighteen verses we can see what made the Lord say these things to Ezekiel.
In fact, the Lord would actually bring Ezekiel, physically, to Jerusalem from where he was in Babylon. The Lord, "took me by a lock of my head," verse 3, and He brought the Prophet into Jerusalem and into the Temple.
In the front of the Temple was "the seat of the image of jealousy," verse 3. This was an idolatrous statue of some kind, most likely a "vulgar obelisk" that desecrated the Temple complex.
Inside the sanctuary there were all types of idolatrous portraits on the walls of the Temple, verses 6-10. Ezekiel was shown the "abomination" that the Sanhedrin, the "seventy men of the ancients," verse 11, had done.
Verse 14 reveals the women that sat there in the Temple, weeping over Tammuz. I'll come back to that in a moment.
The Lord told Ezekiel that he would see a "greater abomination" than he had already seen. The Lord pointed out to the Prophet the twenty-five men between the porch of the Temple and the altar.
These men had their backs to the Holy of Holies where the "Glory of the Lord" hovered over the "Ark of the Covenant," verses 15-16. This passage reveals that these men, most likely priest that served in the Temple, these priests were worshiping the "sun."
These men had their backs to the Holy of Holies where the "Glory of the Lord" hovered over the "Ark of the Covenant," verses 15-16. This passage reveals that these men, most likely priest that served in the Temple, these priests were worshiping the "sun."
Verses 17-18 contain words, which expresses the anger of the Lord over these abominations at the Temple. Notice the words of the Lord in verse 18. He said, "He would deal with these Jews, His eyes would not look upon them, to have pity." He said, "Even if they cry out to me, even in a loud voice, I will not hear them."
The "spiritual application" of this passage for the Christian today is that many of our places of worship, the Churches, have become an "idolatrous" gathering place. More and more the "world" is creeping into our present-day worship centers.
The focus of the worshipers has been diverted from the "Holy God" and "His Holiness" to the "imagery of the world," the "image of jealousy" before the Lord. God cannot hear the "very loud" shouts of so-called "praise and worship" if there is no "holiness."
Please go back to verse 14 where it speaks of "Tammuz." This is the son of the "mother-son cult" that was started in Babylon, 4,500 years ago. This "mother-son cult" will be a part of the "one world religion" revealed in Revelation 17 that will be headquartered in the city of Rome, Italy, during the first half of the seven year Tribulation Period.
The Lord did deal with these issues, in "His fury," verse 18, at that time in history. However, the Lord will not only deal with some of these same issues of the Jewish people in the future, as He did in the past, but He will deal with these issues, in the Church, when He comes to call us up to be with Him in the heavenlies at the Rapture of the Church.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me Lord to focus on You and Your Holiness for my worship and praise and not the things of this world.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Ezekiel 4:3
Tuesday, April 26, 2022 |
Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
For further study - Ezekiel 4:1-17
The last ten words of our key verse in our devotional reading for today, "this shall be a sign to the house of Israel," expresses not only the 4th chapter, our extended reading for today, but the entire book of Ezekiel as it records the life and ministry of a unique man who God gave a unique ministry.
What God would have Ezekiel do as a "street preacher" in front of the Jewish people, Ezekiel's own people, would indeed be a "sign" to the "whole house of Israel." Even the "tile" with Jerusalem drawn upon it and the "iron pan" that Ezekiel would use were both object lessons to the Jewish captives who had been taken into the Babylonian Captivity.
The Lord then has His prophet to lay in the street on his "left side" for 390 days and then on his "right side" for 40 days for a total of 430 days. Each day was to represent a year of judgment to come upon the Jews.
The Lord realized that His prophet would get both hungry and thirsty during his "street" ministry. The Lord made provision for Ezekiel to have about 8 ounces of meat every day, verse 10, and about one quart of water each day, verse 11.
Ezekiel would receive all the ingredients for the prophet to make his bread daily and then God gave him very strange instructions. God told Ezekiel that he was to bake his bread over a fire made out of "human excrement" that was the result of a "bowel movement" done in public, verse 12.
Please excuse what may seem to you vulgarity but I am simply quoting the text. This strange method of baking the bread was for the purpose of revealing to the Jews that they would eat "defiled bread" among the Gentiles as part of their judgment.
This was an action that conveyed to the Jews the seriousness of their sin. You will notice that the Lord did ease up on the baking of the bread and told Ezekiel that he could substitute "cow dung" for "human dung."
I chose this passage to illustrate to each of us the extent, and seriousness of God's judgment upon His people, the Jewish people.
I also believe that this passage best illustrates how a man who sees the "Glory of the Lord," Ezekiel 1:28, will be obedient to the Lord no matter what He calls him to do.
You may say, "But how can we see the Glory of the Lord?" The Psalmist told us in chapter 19, "the heavens declare the Glory of the Lord." That 19th Psalm also says that all of creation reveals the "Glory of the Lord."
Our problem is that we don't take advantage of the opportunities we have to look and see the result of His glory. We must "stop and smell the roses" and observe the "Glory of the Lord" so that we might follow His directions without hesitation.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, to recognize Your "glory", dear Lord, in Your "handiwork" in all of creation and then to be obedient to You.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, to recognize Your "glory", dear Lord, in Your "handiwork" in all of creation and then to be obedient to You.
Monday, April 25, 2022
Ezekiel 3:17
Monday, April 25, 2022 |
Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
For further study - Ezekiel 3:1-27
After Ezekiel saw the "glory of the Lord," chapter 1, the priest-prophet, Ezekiel, is selected by the Lord to go to his own people with prophecy that will be fulfilled in the short-term.
A study of the person of Ezekiel will be of great benefit to your study of Bible prophecy. In the years I've been studying Ezekiel, almost 20 years, I have come to know a man that allowed God to use him for the Lord's own purpose without any reservation.
In Ezekiel 2 we see the record of the Lord setting the priest in the office of prophet as well, verse 5. There are only three men in scripture that were both priest and prophet. Ezekiel is one, and Jeremiah and Zechariah are the other two.
God's plan for Ezekiel would include not only having him as a "street preacher" but the prophet that He would give all the details for what is called "Messiah's Temple." This is the temple that Jesus will build and rule and reign from during the Kingdom period.
You will notice also that the Lord sends Ezekiel to a rebellious nation, Ezekiel 2:3, and a people that will reject his message and in fact, even mock the prophet, Ezekiel 2:5. In chapter 3 God does something very strange, He makes Ezekiel mute or "dumb," that is, unable to speak, Ezekiel 3:26. He then told Ezekiel he could only speak what the Lord would put in his mouth, the words he would speak would be God's messages to the Jewish people, Ezekiel 3:27.
Ezekiel would be mute for over seven years, talking only when God put something in his mouth. God also made the prophet a "watchman," one who would warn the people of a coming danger, Ezekiel 3:17.
A watchman would "hear the word from the Lord" and "warn the people." I believe God wants all of us to be "watchmen," hear the prophetic word of the Lord and then, knowing the urgency of the hour, warn the people.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me to study your prophetic word Lord, so that I can understand the times we live in today and warn the people, as many as possible, as soon as possible.
You will notice also that the Lord sends Ezekiel to a rebellious nation, Ezekiel 2:3, and a people that will reject his message and in fact, even mock the prophet, Ezekiel 2:5. In chapter 3 God does something very strange, He makes Ezekiel mute or "dumb," that is, unable to speak, Ezekiel 3:26. He then told Ezekiel he could only speak what the Lord would put in his mouth, the words he would speak would be God's messages to the Jewish people, Ezekiel 3:27.
Ezekiel would be mute for over seven years, talking only when God put something in his mouth. God also made the prophet a "watchman," one who would warn the people of a coming danger, Ezekiel 3:17.
A watchman would "hear the word from the Lord" and "warn the people." I believe God wants all of us to be "watchmen," hear the prophetic word of the Lord and then, knowing the urgency of the hour, warn the people.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me to study your prophetic word Lord, so that I can understand the times we live in today and warn the people, as many as possible, as soon as possible.
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Lamentations 1:8
Sunday, April 24, 2022 |
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
For further study - Lamentations 1:1-22
The sorrow of Jeremiah expressed in Lamentations is from the loss of the City of Jerusalem to the mighty Babylonian army under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar. The chapter preceding Lamentations 1 is the 52nd chapter of Jeremiah, which is a record of the destruction of Jerusalem and the carrying away into the Babylonian captivity of the Jewish people.
In his third siege of Jerusalem, the Babylonian King killed the leadership of Judah, many of its Jewish residents, burned the city down and destroyed the Temple (read Jeremiah 52 and II Chronicles 36). The loss of all that was sacred to the Priest-Prophet Jeremiah was what motivated him to write Lamentations, of course under the "inspiration" of the Holy Spirit.
Once a year, even until today, the Jewish people will gather at the entrance to the Temple Mount to pray for the Temple to be rebuilt. They also mourn as they read through the book of Lamentations. This is their effort to have the Lord restore their Temple worship and sacrificial system to meet the needs for purification as they search for "redemption" outside the person and work of Jesus Christ.
According to Bible Prophecy, there will be another Temple in Jerusalem, in fact, two more Temples, but neither one will give them the "salvation" that only Jesus can give. By the way, all the preparations have been made for the next Temple to be erected in Jerusalem.
The next Temple in Jerusalem will be the one built during the Tribulation Period. All that must be done to build and operate a Temple has been done except for removing the gold-domed structure known as the "Dome of the Rock."
When the Temple Mount is clear of any other religious building on this very sacred spot then the Jews will erect their Temple. Remember, this will happen sometime after the Rapture - which could happen today.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me Lord to live today as if the Rapture will happen today.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Jeremiah 51:1
Saturday, April 23, 2022 |
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon.
For further study - Jeremiah 51:1-11
The passage of prophecy is a parallel passage to Jeremiah 50, which we have looked at in a previous devotional. This chapter, as well, deals with the "final" destruction of the city of Babylon, which is the area of modern-day Iraq.
The Lord’s first statement in this chapter, and in our key verse for today, verse 1, is that He will rise up against Babylon. Remember, this passage was written over 50 years before the fall of the Babylonian Empire, which happened in 539 BC.
This prophecy, however, is not written for the "near time fulfillment" of the "pre-written" history, written by the Jewish Prophet Jeremiah. This is a prophecy that will be fulfilled at the end of the Tribulation Period, Revelation 18.
This prophetic passage must be read in the context of Isaiah 13 and 14, Jeremiah 50, Revelation 16:17-21 and 18. These chapters call for the total destruction of the city of Babylon, which has never been fulfilled. Only the Babylonian Empire was destroyed in the past, Daniel 5.
Verses 6-8 and 10 speak of how the Lord will use the city of Babylon to accomplish His will in the future. Revelation 18 reveals that in the last three and a half years of the Tribulation Babylon will be the world headquarters for the "one-world" economic, political, governmental system that will be controlled by the "Antichrist."
Jeremiah 50:28 and verse 11 of our devotional reading for today indicates that the reason for the removal from the earth of this historic city, Babylon, is the Lord’s vengeance of His Temple and what the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar did to the Temple and the implements of the Temple, II Chronicles 36:18-21.
These prophecies will be fulfilled and the "stage" is actually set now for this to all happen. The focus of this world on the Iraqi war and the rebuilding of war-torn Iraq has been that which has helped "set the stage" for God’s Word to be played out.
Just before we conclude this devotional thought please look at the first part of verse 11. It mentions the Medes of the Medes and Persians of Biblical times. Experts tell me that the Biblical "Medes" are the modern-day Kurds located in the northern area of Iraq.
Jeremiah 51:11 records the Lord’s action of raising up the "spirit of the kings of the Medes" for the purpose of the destruction of Babylon. Will God use the "Kurd’s" in Iraq to help bring down Babylon, I do not know.
What I do know is that Babylon will be destroyed. Bible prophecy will be fulfilled. The world today is set up for these prophecies to be fulfilled, but first the Rapture will take place. He will shout and call us up to meet Him in the "air." That could happen at any moment, keep looking up.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the prophetic word that is so up-to-date, it seems we are reading from the "newspaper" instead of the Bible. Help me to realize how close we are to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and live my life in light of these truths.
Friday, April 22, 2022
Jeremiah 50:28
Friday, April 22, 2022 |
The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.
For further study - Jeremiah 50:28-40
The passage of prophecy selected for today's devotional and extended reading is from the whole of Jeremiah 50. Though I have only given you thirteen verses to read, verses 28-40, I suggest that you also include the entire 50th chapter of Jeremiah for your reading today.
In fact, Jeremiah 50 and 51 go together as one prophecy; however, we'll take a look at Jeremiah 51 for another devotional reading. These two chapters are part of the prophetic ministry of the "priest-prophet" Jeremiah that God had selected, sanctified and ordained even before his conception or birth.
Jeremiah was selected as a Prophet to the nations, in eternity past, Jeremiah 1:5. There are other nations that Jeremiah wrote about prophetically in this book that must be understood as they relate to the end times as well.
As we come to Jeremiah 50 we see that this unique Prophet, 2,500 years ago, was actually pre-writing history for our day. Reading through Jeremiah is like reading from the front page of any major newspaper.
Jeremiah introduces this entire chapter, verse 1, as the prophecy from the Lord, given to Jeremiah and focused on Babylon. Remember, when Jeremiah wrote this chapter of prophecy, Daniel and his three Hebrew friends had just been taken into the Babylonian Captivity.
The Jews were facing the threat from Nebuchadnezzar and the mighty Babylonian Army, by which all Jews would be eventually taken into captivity. Jeremiah, before the fact, would tell the people how long they would be in this captivity, and out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah 25:11 and 29:10.
In this passage, this Jewish Prophet was revealing the eternal destiny of the Babylonians. Three times in Jeremiah 50 the Lord tells the prophet that Babylon, the literal city of Babylon, will be destroyed, forever.
In fact, when you include Jeremiah 51 in this prophecy it is seven times totally, that Jeremiah speaks of total destruction of Babylon, Jeremiah 50:13, 39-40 and Jeremiah 51:29, 37, 43 and 62.
Biblical Babylon is today modern Iraq. These passages of prophecy pertaining to the total destruction of Babylon have not been fulfilled. In Daniel 5 we see the record of the fall of the Babylonian Empire; however, the city of Babylon was not then destroyed and has not been destroyed yet.
This total destruction of the literal city of Babylon takes place at the end of the seven year Tribulation Period, Revelation 16:17-21, and it is done in one hour, Revelation 18:10, 17 and 19. (See my audio series, "The Babylon Factor.")
Before we leave Jeremiah 50 please look at verse 29. The reason that the Lord totally destroys the city of Babylon and all the Babylonians, the modern-day Iraqi's, is that King Nebuchadnezzar took the implements out of the Temple in Jerusalem and placed them in his idolatrous temple in Babylon, and then burned the Temple, II Chronicles 36: 18-21.
I mentioned that modern-day Iraq is Biblical Babylon thus all that we see happening today in that part of the world is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled, possibly in the near future.
Prophecy becomes very practical as we determine where we are on God's prophetic clock, by studying His prophetic plan, found in His prophetic Word.
PRAYER THOUGHT: As I come to an understanding of the times by studying Your Word, dear Lord, help me to get my heart right and please use me to warn others of the times in which we are living.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Jeremiah 33:20-21
Thursday, April 21, 2022 |
Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
For further study - Jeremiah 33:1-26
This thirty-third chapter of Jeremiah is a confirmation of the great prophecy concerning the Davidic Covenant that the Lord gave to King David, II Samuel 7, some 3,000 years ago. That covenant is as true today as it was when the Lord gave it to David, the second King of Israel.
Within this chapter are some great promises, not only to King David, and Jeremiah the Prophet, but by "spiritual application," to us today, as well. Look at the first one in verse 3. "We can call upon the Lord for great and mighty things, that we knowest not." Please remember, this promise is in light of the principle of prayer in I John 5:14-15.
I must just take a look at the "mountain peaks" in this chapter due to time and space. Really, I could write for three days of devotions on this one chapter. Please read the entire chapter and dig out the great truths found in Jeremiah's writings.
In verse 15 God speaks to Jeremiah about the "Branch," that which is a name for Jesus Christ, Isaiah 4:2 and 11:1, Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12-13. God will raise-up the "Branch" to execute judgment and righteousness in the land of Israel.
At that same time the Lord will cause all who dwell in Jerusalem to dwell safely. Jerusalem will be called "the Lord our righteousness." Remember, the Davidic Covenant called for a Temple to stand in Jerusalem and a King to rule and reign from that Temple for the 1,000 year Kingdom, yet to come.
This thirty-third chapter of Jeremiah restates, confirms, afresh and anew that God will keep His promise to King David. Verses 20-21 tell us the only way God could break this covenant.
Jeremiah records the Lord's only "escape clause" to the promise, the day and the night would have to disappear from this time in history for the Lord to be able to break the promise. If day and night could be done away with then the Lord could also cast David away and the seed of Jacob, the Jewish people, as well.
Of course we can't make the day and the night disappear; therefore, there will be a Temple in Jerusalem and Jesus Christ, the "Branch," the Son of David, will rule and reign from there in the Kingdom He promised to King David and the Jewish people.
That is a promise that you can take to the bank. What is so precious to me about this chapter is that if the Lord can't break His promise to King David, He can't break His promises to me, the promises of salvation, provision, protection and all that He said will happen in the future. Praise His wonderful name.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for being a promise keeping God, what a comfort that is to me.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Jeremiah 31:35-36
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 |
Thus saith THE LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; THE LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith THE LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.
The date June 7, 1967 marked one of the most important days in Israel's modern day history. On that date, after almost 2,000 years, the Jewish people reunited their "holy city" of Jerusalem.
The Israeli Defense Force stormed off the Mount of Olives, down through the Kidron Valley, through the Lion Gate of the Old City, and on to the Temple Mount to capture this sacred piece of real estate for the Jewish people.
This was a very emotional moment for paratroopers who captured the entire Old City on "day three" of the Six Day War. Israel fought this war on 3 fronts and was victorious. The Israelis were under attack from the north by Syria, from the east by Jordan, and from the south by Egypt.
I remind you of this benchmark in Israel's history because of our devotional reading for today, as it relates to that day. The prophet Jeremiah 2,500 years ago foretold of a time in history future from his day that the Jewish people would return to their land after centuries of being scattered around the world.
Jeremiah 31:8-10 tells of how the Lord will bring the Jewish people from all over the world back "home." Jeremiah 31:17 reveals that these Jews gathered from the "four corners of the earth," will be brought back into their land, into their own borders. Notice in Jeremiah 31:23, the Lord promises to give back to the Jewish people their Hebrew language.
Jeremiah 31:38-40 talks about the return of Jerusalem to the Jewish people, which was partially fulfilled on the date, June 7, 1967. I say partially because the city of Jerusalem will be a center of controversy until the Messiah, Jesus Christ, sets up His kingdom. Jesus Christ will reign over His kingdom from Jerusalem for 1,000 years.
Our key verses, Jeremiah 31:35-36, reveal to us the commitment of God Himself to His plan for the Jewish people. The only way that God would break His promises to the Jewish people would be if the sun, moon, and stars were to be destroyed in the heavens.
Jeremiah 31:31-33 records the "New Covenant" that is given to the Jewish people. The New Covenant lasts forever. It is referring to the time that the Jewish people accept Jesus Christ as Messiah and Saviour, and He becomes their God. It's a time, as well, when the Jewish people will be His people. This prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.
As we think of the reunification of Jerusalem on June 7, 1967, and with the other prophecies of Jeremiah 31 being fulfilled, we can know that the prophecy of Israel's salvation will also come to pass, seemingly in the near future.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank You, Lord, for Your commitment to the Jewish people in the past, and the future. It is an assurance of Your commitment to me, as well.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Jeremiah 30:7
Tuesday, April 19, 2022 |
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.
For further study - Jeremiah 30:1-11
Starting with the thirtieth chapter of Jeremiah we move into the section of this prophetic book referred to as the "messages of consolation," where Jeremiah, "the weeping prophet," reveals his heart and the prophetic Word of God that is somewhat of a "consoling message" to the Jews who had heard the previous messages of retribution.
Jeremiah 30-33 are the four chapters where the Lord uses the ministry of Jeremiah to console the Jewish people. As the prophet begins this section he does so in chapter 30 with a mix of retribution and consolation.
Jeremiah lets the Jews know that though they will go into the Babylonian Captivity, and indeed they were taken captive by the Babylonians, that the Lord would bring them back into "the land of their forefathers," verse 3.
Jeremiah told the Jews that they would actually "possess the land" as promised to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, verse 3b. This passage has a "double fulfillment" as is the case in other prophetic passages as well.
This means that there would be a "near term fulfillment" of these prophecies, and these prophecies were fulfilled, the Lord did return the Jews to the "land of their forefathers." The "long term fulfillment" of these prophecies, that the Jews would come back into the land in the last days, is in the process of being fulfilled, even today.
Verse 8 says that the "yoke" of the enemies of the Jewish people will be broken in the future, and that "King David" will be raised up to be co-regent with Jesus Christ as the Lord rules and reigns at the Temple in Jerusalem in the future Kingdom.
Notice verse 7 and the warning of "troublesome times" for the Jewish people, which is also yet future. I'm referring to the seven year "Tribulation Period" that takes place after the Rapture of the Church.
Jeremiah referred to the "time of Jacob's trouble" which is the last three and a half years of the seven year "Tribulation Period." The "time of Jacob's trouble" is like no time ever in the history of the Jewish people, verse 7.
It will be a time when the Lord dispatches the Archangel Michael, Daniel 12:1, to keep the Jews from being totally eliminated. God promised Jeremiah that there will be a great number of Jews to be saved, both physically and spiritually, out of the "time of Jacob's trouble."
By the way, as we watch the events of today unfolding and those things happening in Israel and among the Jewish people, it seems to be an indication that we are quickly approaching the "time of Jacob's trouble."
Remember, the Rapture takes place before the Tribulation, and the Lord's shout for us to join Him in the heavenlies could happen today.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for Bible prophecy that alerts me of the times I'm living in. Help me to live for You as I await Your return.
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