King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, August 24, 2024
Chapters: Jeremiah Chapters 51-52
Message: Waiting For Jesus
Hello My Friend,
Jesus said this when Thomas had doubts that He had risen from the dead, [John 20:27-29 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.]
From creation, God gave all mankind something we like to call freewill, that is our one way ticket to choices we make based on the knowledge that we receive. Do you see the key phrase in what would have made the difference in Thomas believing that Jesus truly had risen from the dead? [be not faithless, but believing.] This is what is wrong with the world today, they put all their faith in a failed science that has no faith in God. Naturally, if one were to take off the blinders they would see the truth that the world and all the wonders of the universe had one Creator, God, but the truth is that God has put those blinders on them.
[Romans 1:20-21,25 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.]
When God sent Judah into captivity to Babylon for seventy years He was not going to leave them high and dry and He never planned to keep Israel out of their own nation forever, it was temporary. God, also does something else when He sends His people out into the world so to speak, He makes Himself known to them. This gives the world the opportunity to know who He truly is and shows them that they too can be saved from the ultimate judgment. That was not the case with Babylon, no matter how much proof they had that God was the one who gave them their success they would not turn to Him. Therefore, as we come to the end of the reading of Jeremiah, God warns Babylon that He will rise up against them.
[Jeremiah 51:1-2,5,7 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind; 2 And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about. 5 For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. 7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.]
[Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand,] At one time Babylon was one of the, if not, most powerful nations in all the world. It reigned over hundreds of provinces, feared by many, and prospered greatly all because it was under the hand of God while the Jews were there. God’s hand is in everything that His people go through, the good, the bad, and even the ugly, He may not cause the evil, but He will protect them and deliver them from all evil one way or another, [Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.]
[For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God,] God used Babylon, just like He did with Egypt, to preserve His people while the were out of the promised land. Just like every saved born again Christian is not meant to remain on earth forever, we are only here temporarily until God brings us home.
[2 Corinthians 5:8-10 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.]
Today, Babylon is modern day Iraq and also parts of Syria, so that tells you something as to what we are dealing with. God, is not against anyone, He will save all who come to Him by faith, but if you reject Him, fight with Him, are against Him, then you can expect the same. You reap what you sow, but that does not stop Him from having hope that they will turn to Him, hence the crying for them. God, goes on to say that if Babylon would just listen to Him, then it would heal them.
[Jeremiah 51:9-11 We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. 10 The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God. 11 Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.]
[We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed:] Keep in mind that God is talking in particular about the Babylonians here, and not all the inhabitants, but the judgment was upon the land because of all the evil. This is just like what Jesus said, He came here to heal not to destroy sinners, [Luke 5:31-32 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.]
[The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness:] Jesus, in all His glory and might, brought forth righteousness to every believer when He took on the sins of every man, woman, and child from creation and nailed them to the cross with Him. When He was buried in the tomb for three days, every one of those sins were buried as well, never to be brought up again. When He arose, there came a newness of life to all who believe as they put on His righteousness.
[Romans 6:3-6 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.]
Let me tell you, the older I get and the more corrupt my own country gets the more I understand God’s anger, especially toward His people. And while God will chasten His people, and sometimes even remove them from their comforts to give them something to repent about, they do belong to Him. He reminds Babylon that He is not done with Israel, also referring to them as the portion of Jacob.
[Jeremiah 51:15-19 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding. 16 When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. 17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. 18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. 19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.]
[The portion of Jacob is not like them;] Again, God will use the world to chasten His people, but they are His and once their chastening is over, they will inherit the promised land. All who receive Christ as their Saviour are one with Israel, they are the rod of His inheritance, we belong to Him, He will never leave nor forsake us, and one day there will be an end to all suffering, [Colossians 3:24-25 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.]
God often gets accused of being a hater, rather the people that are faithful to Him, they pick through the Bible, take every verse that talks about sin and judgment and become defensive, haters of God, and everyone who follows Him. Is is the haters of this world who are the very people that are cruel, mean, and spiteful, not God, or anyone that truly follows Him. Through Jeremiah, we are reminded that God is in control of everything, except man, who makes up their own gods, which have no breath in them unlike Him.
[Jeremiah 51:33-36 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come. 34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out. 35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. 36 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.]
[Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me,] The inhabitants of Israel and Judah are now introduced with a lamentation showing the reason for the Lord’s judgment upon Babylon.
[Jeremiah 51:45-48 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD. 46 And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler. 47 Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. 48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD.]
[lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour] The faint heart is the one that once had faith in God, but lost it due to some event. Let me tell you, Jesus is all the proof anyone needs of there only being one living, breathing God, and one event does not cause one to lose their faith in Him. The problem was that they believed while God gave them the things they wanted without obedience, then when He started requiring it, they stop believing. God had no choice, but to give them up because they gave up on Him.
[a rumour shall both come one year,] All the rumors of war and of acts of violence, which should not fear the people of God. The first rumor spoke of the uprising of the Medes, the second of the approach of Cyrus, while this event fixed the time when the Jews should prepare to leave the city of Babylon. Jesus, reminds us not to fear the rumors either, [Matthew 24:6-8,12-13 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]
It is God’s desire than none should perish, He would save any soul who comes to Him through His Son, but unless they come to Him He cannot, and will not save them. Why? God, gives us all the freewill to choose what we believe, if you want to believe that man evolved over millions of years ago, then so be it, but do not blame Him when you face Him. No one will escape judgment without Christ! God goes on to explain this.
[Jeremiah 51:50-52,56 Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind. 51 We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD’S house. 52 Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan. 56 Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.]
[the LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.] [Requite; To repay either good or evil; in a good sense, to recompense; to return an equivalent in good; to reward. In a bad sense, to retaliate; to return evil for evil; to punish.] This is not our home, we are actually exiles on this modern day Babylon that we call earth, and even if our bodies are in grave or scattered all over the earth when Jesus returns for us, He will resurrect them. Again, there is nothing to fear when we have faith in God.
[Hebrews 10:35-39 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.]
God loves us too much to see us dying in our sin, that is why He gave us some rules to live by and corrects us when we continuously fail Him with no repentance. God may allow suffering, He may chasten His people, and let them fall into trouble sometimes, but He never stops loving them, and if you look carefully you will see that He is always faithful, even when we let Him down sometimes. The prophecy was written by Jeremiah and sent to Babylon with Seraiah, who is to read it to his countrymen in captivity.
[Jeremiah 51:60-64 So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; 62 Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever. 63 And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: 64 And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.]
[and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:] This is symbolic in expressing the fulfillment of the prophecy upon Babylon, they shall be so overcome that it would be impossible for them to recover their strength. To proclaim the Word of God to friend and foe alike, regardless of consequences, is a character of the true servant of the Lord. Jesus, said it this way, [John 15:15-16 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.]
This is not about being perfect, we will never be perfect until we get to heaven, it is about having a relationship with Jesus that separates us from the world and brings others to Him. The last chapter of Jeremiah, gives an account of why and when Nebuchadnezzar was allowed by God to send judgment.
[Jeremiah 52:3-5.28,30 For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about. 5 So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 28 This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year three thousand Jews and three and twenty: 30 In the three and twentieth year of Nebuchadrezzar Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Jews seven hundred forty and five persons: all the persons were four thousand and six hundred.]
[This is the people whom Nebuchadrezzar carried away captive:] Four-thousand and six hundred Jews were carried into captivity to Babylon while Nebuchadnezzar was king, while in their seventy year captivity something amazing began to happen, many of the people turned to God, sought forgiveness of their sins, and put their faith and trust in Him. The result, God’s mercy and grace was upon them and they began to prosper, even the last king of Judah, Jehoiachin, who was captured and imprisoned, was released from prison and sat under the throne of the king of Babylon.
[Jeremiah 52:31-34 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison, 32 And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, 33 And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life. 34 And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.]
[every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.] I was just telling my husband that God always takes care of my needs, even gives me things I do not need. Of course, we are going to have times of famine as God will only give us the bare necessities at times, but He always gives us our daily bread, regardless if we need five or five million dollars. There are many, many Christians who struggle to get their daily bread and wonder why God does not provide for them, the truth is, they are hindering God in some way as He never lacks to provide us with what we have need of while we are exiles here.
[Haggai 1:5-8 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. 8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Jeremiah 51:19 The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name. Jeremiah 51:57 And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.]
Today’s Prayer: God, There is no amount of words that can describe just how merciful and forgiving You are no matter what we have done. To think of the things we have allowed in our lives or been caught up in is astounding, but You are always there to catch us, to pick us up, to mend the wounds, and to heal us from everything from a broken heart to a broken ego. Lord, while we are exiles here upon the earth, give us your power and strength to set free anything that bounds us. Lead us and guide us, give us Your mercy and grace to keep going forward, keep us looking to You through all of our trials, and suffering as we await the joyful day that Your Son comes to get us and bring us home. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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