Chapter 4 - An Examination of the End Times (Continued)
Book of Jeremiah
Jeremiah was a prophet during the time of Judah’s last five kings (Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah) before Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 586 B.C. Jeremiah lived during a time when the people of Israel had essentially abandoned God. He prophesied many warnings and judgments, most of which were fulfilled during his lifetime. Only a few pertain to events during the end times. We will examine only those prophecies here.
Shortly after Jeremiah is commissioned as a prophet of God, the book of Jeremiah records several prophecies regarding the people of Israel and the nation of Judah. Beginning in chapter two Jeremiah lists the many sins of God’s people. Which is then followed by a call to repentance, in which God notes that in the future Jerusalem will be the “throne of the LORD,” and all nations shall gather there to be in the presence of God (see Jeremiah 3:11-18). Jeremiah notes that the house of Israel and the house of Judah will once again be together. This prophecy will be fulfilled when Jesus reigns on earth during the millennial kingdom.
Referring to a time when the Israelites, after being dispersed around the world (the final diaspora), God calls them back to the fold (Israel) where they will be protected and never again be in fear (see Jeremiah 23:1-4). He further notes that a time is coming when God will raise up a “righteous Branch” (Jesus[1]) and He will reign over the land. People will no longer refer to God as the one who rescued the Israelites from Egypt, but as the one who brought them back into their own land (see Jeremiah 23:5-8).
In Jeremiah chapter 25, he records God giving him a “cup of the wine of wrath” to give to the nations He sends him to (see Jeremiah 25:15-16). If they do not drink from the cup, God warns that those nations must be punished, as He is “summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth” (see Jeremiah 25:28-29). Which He further forewarns, “Behold, disaster is going forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth!” (Jeremiah 25:32) This coming judgment recorded in Jeremiah 25:30-38, has yet to occur and will likely happen shortly after Jesus returns.
Jeremiah wrote in chapter 30, “For behold, days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the LORD, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” (Jeremiah 30:3) The text goes on to describe the pain they will endure in captivity but promises that they will be saved out of the “time of distress.” Then God announces something that is truly astonishing, and as a result is often debated, but the meaning is clear. Referring to Israel and Judah, Jeremiah wrote, “But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.” (Jeremiah 30:9) Yes, King David returns to his throne on earth! God then reminds them that He will not let them go unpunished (see verse 11, see also Jeremiah 46:27-28). In the next four verses, God declares their guilt and briefly describes His judgment. However, He quickly returns to the promise of restoration in verses 16-24. As readers, we need to recognize that Jeremiah prophesied both the punishment inflicted by the Babylonians in the 70-year period of captivity, and the “time of distress for Jacob” (see verse 7, also known as “The time of Jacob’s trouble”) referring to the period of tribulation in the end times. Since the events recorded in Jeremiah 30:1-11 have not occurred in history, these verses will be fulfilled at the end of the tribulation period.
Jeremiah chapter 31 continues with the theme of Israel’s restoration after the time of Jacob’s trouble. “The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah. In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it. But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Jeremiah 31:27-28, NLT) God then notes that everyone will pay for their own sins, no longer will their children suffer for their iniquities against God (see Jeremiah 31:29-30).
Chapter 31 also includes the remarkable promise of a new covenant, one where God does all the work for our salvation. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34) Jeremiah prophesied the finished work Jesus did on the cross over five-hundred years before Jesus arrived in Bethlehem. Key points: 1) Covenant made with the people of Israel and Judah; 2) This covenant is unlike the covenant made with their forefathers act Mount Sinai, as that covenant was conditional and was broken, this one is not; 3) Everyone will know God as He will write His Word in their hearts; 4) The covenant will be available to all people, regardless of position in life; 5) God will forgive and no longer remember their sins. The chapter continues to describe how God will not reject His people and will rebuild Jerusalem. Many have noted how the text describes the expansion of Jerusalem (see verses 38-40), which seem to match the size of Jerusalem today. The prophecy of the New Covenant concludes with this promise: “The city will never again be captured or destroyed.” (Jeremiah 31:40b, NLT) The author of the book of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 in Hebrews 8:8-12, where he connects this “New Covenant” to Jesus and how it is available to all people, not just the Jews (see Hebrews 8:1-10:39). It is interesting to note that the Greek word ‘diathēkēn’,[2] translated in the New Testament as ‘covenant’ (also found in Septuagint), means to set out in order, and can be translated as ’testament’ (as found in the KJV), giving the name to the second half of the Bible.
In Jeremiah chapter 33 we find another set of promises of restoration to Israel and Judah. The two houses will come back into their land and experience healing, joy, honor, and prosperity, as God restores their fortune. He notes that the days are coming when a “Righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” (Jeremiah 33:15b) being another reference to Jesus being a king during His millennial reign. In verses 19-26 God makes it clear that reports of Him completely rejecting the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah, are not true and that His covenant with them cannot be broken.
The city of Babylon plays a prominent role in both Biblical history as well as Biblical prophecy. The location first appears in the Bible in Genesis as Babel, where people constructed the Tower of Babel on a plain in the land of Shinar (see Genesis 11:1-9, see also Genesis 10:10). God used the Babylonian Empire to punish and ultimately take captive the people of Judah. Even though called by God to discipline His people, Babylon was later judged by Him. In prophecy yet-future, Babylon is again mentioned. Because it was destroyed a long time ago and mostly left desolate, many believe that the name ‘Babylon’ is actually a ‘code word’ for Rome or some other location. It is also identified in prophecy as a major trade center, but will be destroyed. The words that describe this destruction, as ‘fallen’ are repeated several times (see Isaiah 29:10; Jeremiah 51:8; Revelation 14:8; 18:2). The question that is often debated is, “Could Babylon be rebuilt before or during the end times?” Many believe that the reference to Babylon should be interpreted as the literal city on the plain of Shinar.
The final two chapters describe the complete and total destruction of Babylon in the future (see Jeremiah 50:1-51:64). We read that Babylon will be captured by a nation from the north and its gods ‘Bel’ and ‘Marduk' will be put to shame and shattered respectively (see Jeremiah 50:2-3). Jeremiah's account of Babylon's destruction is more detailed than any of the other prophecies regarding Babylon. While similar to Isaiah 13:1-16 and Revelation chapters 17-18, Jeremiah's account makes it clear that the level of destruction described has not yet occurred. We also read in Jeremiah, "She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations." (Jeremiah 50:39, see also verse 40) Although not the city it once was, it is still today inhabited. The subject of Babylon and its destruction will be reviewed in detail later in the commentary of the book of Revelation (see chapters 17 and 18).
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[1] See "The Role and Titles of the Messiah" above in "A Person Known as the Messiah,” regarding the word ‘Branch’.
[2] Strong’s Greek 1242.