This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. 3 The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,’ says the LORD.”
4 These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 “This is what the LORD says:
“‘Cries of fear are heard—
terror, not peace.
6 Ask and see:
Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,
every face turned deathly pale?
7 How awful that day will be!
None will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
8 “‘In that day,’ declares the LORD Almighty,
‘I will break the yoke off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;
no longer will foreigners enslave them.
9 Instead, they will serve the LORD their God
and David their king,
whom I will raise up for them.
10 “‘So do not fear, O Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, O Israel,’
declares the LORD.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’
declares the LORD.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only with justice;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
12 “This is what the LORD says:
“‘Your wound is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no remedy for your sore,
no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
and your sins so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
your pain that has no cure?
Because of your great guilt and many sins
I have done these things to you.
16 “‘But all who devour you will be devoured;
all your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plunder you will be plundered;
all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the LORD,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
18 “This is what the LORD says:
“‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on her ruins,
and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs of thanksgiving
and the sound of rejoicing.
I will add to their numbers,
and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,
and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children will be as in days of old,
and their community will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leader will be one of their own;
their ruler will arise from among them.
I will bring him near and he will come close to me,
for who is he who will devote himself
to be close to me?’
declares the LORD.
22 “‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’”
23 See, the storm of the LORD
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.
My Understanding: I was praying for revival for my family members and for the church, and had spent time in prayer for various people and people groups in need. The song, “First Things First,” began playing in my mind again. When I was singing in my mind the second stanza and was singing the words, “I will follow Him where he leads me; where He goes, I’ll go with Him,” I suddenly had an image in my mind of my mother, post WWII, probably just following the war when she married my father, a soldier she had written to during the war. So, I inquired of the Lord as to why this image of my mother was in my mind. Then, I had an evil image of my father in my mind. My mother had no idea who she was marrying. My father was a dictator, a tyrant, an abuser of the worst kind, and a very evil person. So, again, I inquired of the Lord. Why were these images of my parents in my mind? Just then I heard the name “Mao.” I recognized the name. He was a dictator of the worst kind in China, beginning in 1949 (the year of my birth). He slaughtered more innocent people than Hitler and Stalin combined together, it appears. Ref: http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html.
This passage of scripture in Jeremiah appears to be a prophetic passage of scripture concerning the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the time of tribulation yet to come on the earth. “The days are coming,” “that day,” and “in that day” are all phrases believed to refer specifically to the ‘Day of Judgment’ to come on the earth during the time known as the Great Tribulation when the dragon (Satan), the beast and the antichrist will rule on the earth for a time, times and half a time. “How awful that day will be! None will be like it.” Again, this appears to apply specifically to the time of tribulation yet to come on the earth. I believe this is why the Lord placed these images in my mind, to give me a picture of what is coming and where the Lord is leading his people. He is going to lead us into these “grief stricken trials and valleys” of tribulation on the earth, yet there will be mountain top experiences, too, and in the midst of it all we will know the peace of God within.
Israel had sinned greatly against the Lord. She had been living in spiritual adultery against God Almighty, and she was steeped in idolatry. She had forsaken her One and Only true god to follow after “other gods” that were not gods. They were cheap substitutes for the real thing. Yet, out of this great time of distress would come great deliverance. It will be a time of great trouble for God’s people, and yet the people of God, i.e. believers in Jesus Christ, will be saved through the time of tribulation. During this time of great distress to come upon the earth, God will revive and restore his people to himself. He will break off the yokes of bondage to sin that have plagued his people. He provided that freedom from sin when he died on the cross for our sins, yet many believers are still living in bondage to sin as though Christ did not come to set them free. So, he will use divine discipline to break those bonds of sin from the lives of his followers, I believe, in order to purify his church, his bride, for his return. I believe a remnant of Jews will be saved, as well.
Instead of God’s people following after “other gods” to serve them, a time is coming when they will serve the Lord their God and Jesus Christ their Messiah and King. God will discipline his people with justice. He will not let us, as his people, go entirely unpunished. Without God, the wounds of sin of God’s people are incurable, which is why they continue in their sins. They are beyond healing, absent of the power of God in their lives. This is true of today’s lukewarm church. God has called and called her to repent of her sins and to return to her first love, but she has been unwilling. Because her guilt is so great and her sins so many, God will have to punish her in order to bring her back to her One and Only true God and to Jesus Christ her only Lord and Savior. Yet, it is in God’s plan to restore his church to himself through judgment, I believe. And, she will be revived and many will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ through her testimony.
God will restore his people to a right relationship with himself, he will have compassion on her, and he will bless her with spiritual blessings from above when she turns from her sin and rebellious ways and she turns to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in full faith and obedience. He will “rebuild” her ruined lives which were destroyed and corrupted by sin. When he restores his people, from her will come songs of thanksgiving and sounds of rejoicing, because she will truly be free as God had planned for her to be. God will add to her numbers through the salvation of lives who are impacted by her newfound witness for Jesus Christ. And, he will establish her as his community of people once again. He will truly be her God and she will be his people, not just in name only, but in practice. Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord, will lead us and guide us, and we will be, as a people of God, restored to true fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ and to God the Father and Holy Spirit.
Yet, prior to this time of restoration and spiritual blessing, I believe, is going to come a time of judgment in order to bring the lukewarm church back into a right relationship with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ wants to be in first place in our lives. If we are going to spend eternity with him in heaven, then we should be making him Lord of our lives while we are still on the earth. There are no guarantees that any of us will survive what is coming, so if you are still floundering in your sin or in lukewarm faith, I pray you will get right with God today while you still have today.
First Things First / An Original Work / April 27, 2011
First things first! Last things last!
Will you be the first to love others?
Will you follow Jesus, the Lamb?
Will you witness, dispelling darkness?
Will you be the light to the world?
Show the world how much Jesus loves them.
That’s why He died for their sins.
I love God! He loves me!
I will follow Him where he leads me.
Where He goes, I’ll go with Him
Into valleys, grief stricken trials,
Or on mountain tops, peace within.
There is not a challenge He can’t meet
If we but trust in Him.
First things first! Last things last!
Loving God means He is in first place.
He is King; He’s Lord of my world.
I give Him the glory and honor;
Magnifying the great I AM!
He is worthy of all my worship.
He deserves all of my praise.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
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