You Will Return | Jeremiah 33 | Pastor William Hixson

Jeremiah reading the chapters that we're

dealing with

um and trying to get a handle on it. We

originally

had planned to do a whole lesson on a

millill premill and the differences. I

what happened was we ordered some

literature that did not come in. So I

wanted some literature for you guys to

look at while we were doing the lesson.

It is not here. Lord willing, it'll be

here next week.

>> Two weeks.

>> Two weeks. All right. Two weeks. Okay.

So, when the literature comes, we'll

have that particular lesson. And it will

be on the issue of the millennium, not

the tribulation. We'll save that for

later. We'll save dispensationalism for

later. We're just simply doing it on the

the the covenants. And I think that that

will be an appropriate way to do it.

We'll talk about all that when we get

there. Uh and so there's more than one

way to approach

subject. Let's have a word of prayer.

Father, we ask your blessing now as we

come to a beautiful, wonderful, precious

section of your word. and we pray that

we do do justice to it as much as we can

as fallen beings that are saved and yet

progressive in our understanding of your

truth. Enlighten our minds and enable us

to seek your face in Jesus name. Amen.

>> Amen.

>> So we will put off the uh topical

message on the mail preill positions

until we've finished this particular

section. And so God's sovereign, we just

rest in that. So turn with me to chapter

33.

It's the last chapter of four chapters

that really kind of go together.

And

uh I want to talk about this these four

chapters, chapters 30, 31, 32, and 33.

We've looked at three of the four and

we've got a pretty good idea of that.

And I thought I would review where we've

been once we've got a little bit of a

handle on the last chapter and try to

put it together

uh in such a way that will prepare us

for the time we'll be uh in a few weeks.

At least that's my goal. We'll see if

that goal comes to pass. I I and I just

some prelim some preliminary

observations

that will help us to appreciate this

particular section of scripture. So

there I've got four of them. I wish

you'd write them down and think about

these observations that might be helpful

to you. A couple of these I've mentioned

before, but I'm going to work on each

one a little bit more tonight.

And again, I'm speaking of chapters 30,

31, 32, and 33

as a as a unit.

The first and most obvious point to make

is that chapter 33 is connected to the

earlier three chapters. Chapters 30, 31,

32, and 33

are very very much

connected in subject matter.

Uh, my NIV study Bible lists chapters

30-33

as promises

of restoration.

That's how they handle it.

John Thompson, a very Herodite

commentator on Jeremiah,

calls these chapters the book of

consolation. a book of consolation as

does John Fineberg and Gray and John

Grey Bill.

So, and CF Keel calls them the

announcement of the deliverance for all

Israel.

That's the consolation.

Consolation is history is not always

going to keep going in this treadmill of

of uh chaos.

they've been going through.

Now, that's one way to look at it is to

just uh put the whole thing under the

idea of consolation or comfort. It is a

comfort. It's a great comfort. The new

covenant is supposed to comfort people.

And we're in that covenant although we

don't deserve it as Gentiles because of

our relationship with Jesus Christ. And

we're going to get into that. I sure

hope I sure hope you're comforted.

I sure hope that we have a consolation

uh and of a sure future with the Lord.

Now, there's other ways of looking at

these four chapters. Some people they

mention the consolation part, but they

tend to look at the dates of the

prophecies, especially the last one, and

they kind of divide it up by the dates.

Uh for instance, Scroggy says prophecies

before the fall of Jerusalem and then

the pro uh prophecies after the fall of

Jerusalem. That's some one of ways he

looks at it. By after he means it's

almost over until it's fall. Well, my

answer to that is that those those are

important things. Chronology is

important. Theology is even more

important. And it's it's the the reason

uh RK Harrison and Scroggy do that is

that the last prophecy was written was

given in the time of Zedekiah right

before everything followed and it's a

little bit later than the others. Derek

Kner has an interesting way of dealing

with both these things. He he calls

chapters 30 and 31 books of hope part

one and chapters 32 to 33 books of hope

part two.

And I think that's an interesting way of

dealing with it. And so uh and they're

placed

the all these four chapters are meant to

reinforce each other and to be

integrated with each other. Uh when you

were a kid and you had the

they had these little square things,

you'd have knitting things. You'd knit a

pod holder. Remember the pot holders you

made a kid? you know, they're

intertwined and you you're working on

doing that, making something

intertwined. These chapters are very

very much intertwined, aren't they? You

can't read them, but it's not only

repetition, there's reconnection with

what went before and what goes

afterwards. And so, we get a

reinforcement. One of the things we're

getting at the last chapter, which was

written a little late later and almost

right before the city capitulated,

is there's a reinforcement of hope.

This last chapter isn't saying that much

more, but it's saying it again in a

clearer fashion.

If you're in a hospital and you wake up

from an operation and your spouse is

there or your friend is there and they

said, "It's all good. It's all good."

You know, that's a nice thing. You You

want to hear that, right? Even if it's a

minor thing or a major thing, it's kind

of nice to hear that. Even if the

anesthetic makes you forget [laughter]

forget it the time, it's nice to hear

that. And but then the when the doctor

comes in and says, "It's all clear.

everything is good. That's that's a

double encouragement, isn't it? So, you

know, the nurse has said it to the wife,

the wife or the husband, and then the

doctor comes and says it to you. And so,

what is going on in these chapters, if I

can be so bold to put it this way, God

is giving the Jewish nation that's about

to go into exile,

an overdose

of comfort,

an overdose of hope

to get them through the next,

not only the next 70 years, but the

years until the final chapter of history

is written when Jesus returns.

So the first thing is this intertwining

of subjects and you can't help but if we

would go back and read 30 31 32 33 and

take the time to do it. It's kind of

vast. We would see that that

interconnection like the like the u uh

the polders we'd make as kids. It's very

much intertwined all the way through.

Second point of observation, and I

mentioned this before, is the length of

these four chapters.

The length of these four chapters,

they're pretty long chapters.

And so to try to, you know, if we're

reading a small book of the Bible,

I sometimes I tell people, read

Philippians first. That's a small book.

Try to get through one book of the Bible

or you can read Phileiman. Read one

little book, one chapter book or read

Philippians four chapters. Don't try to

read a big book and figure it out. Take

one book and read it 30 times this month

and keep rereading it.

So, but the size of this particular

section of scripture is just a little

larger than Philippians. This this is

just one part of Jeremiah. These four

chapters are are a little larger than

Philippians, a little less than

Galatians. It's an it's an it's it's an

immense amount and it's in the Old

Testament.

So, you got you're you're reading 29

chapters before you get to it and then

you got a lot more to go after it. And

it's very easy with these big books

to not put the plow down deep enough.

you're just skimming over it to get to

the next thing and then the next thing

the next thing. Right? So, you're so

busy getting through the longer book

that you don't stop and think about as

maybe you should or could

uh you're trying to make progress

instead of uh getting it to where you

can manage it and have it be a blessing

to you.

Now, I said this before,

but if I was to ask you, what are the

five longest books in the Bible?

Longest books in the Bible.

That's a little bit of a trick question

because it t it it depends on whether

you uh look at the modern format of the

books of the Bible or the ancient

format.

>> Were there one book or two?

>> Yeah, one book or two. the ancient

format mixed put some together

and and I'll I'll say this in a minute.

If you if you take the the the modern

format of the five books of the Bible

and just look at the number of words

Jeremiah the book the book is the

largest book in the Bible

the longest. It has 33,000 and two words

in the Hebrew text. If you count the

Aramaic text, there's one verse in

Aramaic.

Genesis has is next with 32,046 words.

Psalms is next with 30,147

words. Ezekiel is next with 29,918

words. And Isaiah is fifth with 25,68

words. Now, those are I didn't count the

words. I got that online.

I I looked that up.

But now if you take the so if you take

the modern format of the books of the

Bible Jeremiah is the longest book and

Genesis is second and Psalms which

sometimes we think that's the biggest

one is actually third.

Now it's easier to read Psalms in little

sections because they're broken up into

150 chapters.

Jeremiah's, you know, he's he's got 52

chapters, not 150, but you know, it's

it's a lot more to deal with,

your plate is pretty full and you're

trying to move forward and make some

progress. If you take the original

format of the Bible where first and 2

Samuel is one book and 1 and 2 Kings is

one book, same material but just put

together. and 1 and 2 Chronicles is one

book and Ezra and Nehemiah is one book.

Then first kings is the longest

and first se Chronicles is the longest

and Samuel is the third and Jeremiah is

the fourth. If you combine those other

books, they move ahead Jeremiah. But you

know whether you use the ancient or

modern configuration of our books, it's

the same exact material whether it's the

Hebrew and Aramaic text and whether the

books are combined or not. But it's a

lot to

remember and connect.

There's a lot of connections. You see

repetitions and and you see things that

need to be connected. And this is one of

those long section of books.

The encouraging thing is Jeremiah, as

we've said, for decades, almost four

decades, was given them bad news.

Judgment's coming. And it's coming. It's

right. It's just there. Judge the

Babylonians are got their uh siege

engines on the outside. They're tearing

down houses inside Jerusalem to

reinforce the walls from the battering

rams. when he's giving this.

So, his prophecy of judgment, it's

coming true.

Everybody knows now he was right and

we're wrong.

Everybody knows now. We said Jeremiah

was a false prophet, but he really is a

true prophet.

None of us believed him, but he's right.

We're not going to make it this time.

And uh so once they learn that and that

Jeremiah has a credibility he never had

for 40 years.

But Babylonians at the door, he's got

he's got boatloads of credibility now.

[clears throat]

And everybody laughed at him and laughed

at him. But when he went to buy the land

that we looked at last week,

I think they looked at him differently.

Babylonians are already at the door.

He's buying land that's under their

control.

He knows the future. What do you mean by

all this? So, it's a long section in a

long book. And it's kind of hard to make

ourselves

do the work and say, "I need to spend a

lot of time in these four chapters.

Reading it through once or twice is not

enough. I need to go over it." It's like

plowing a garden, you know? You you get

a farmer in and he plows it and then

disc it. And then you take your then you

take your u

lost the word for the for plow you walk

behind

>> roatiller. Then you take your roatiller

and and you know that you're you're the

third pass and

you get it you get it uh fertilized and

everything then you're ready to go.

Well, most people don't read the Bible

that much, do they? They don't take time

to spend the time

to really dig things out.

And this is important. Now, this is the

third observation

is we are now dealing with the new

covenant.

Last chapter, last chapter we looked at,

there's now explicit

explicit chapters. These are explicit

chapters that hold together on the new

covenant.

And this is going to be a big deal.

They've been under the old covenant

since the time of Moses.

Now, we've got two cars, and this has

been our history of being married. We've

always had two cars. Our whole marriage,

even before we were married, we had two.

We never got down to one except when one

of them would break down. We always end

up with two. But you know, you get a you

get a car, that's your new car, and then

uh then few years later, several years

later, you have to buy another car and

that becomes your new car, and the new

car becomes the old car. The old

covenant wasn't the old covenant till

you got the new covenant.

But now we certainly refer to it as the

old covenant.

But for 1500 years, it was the covenant.

A millennium and a half, it was almost.

It was a the covenant. That's a long

time. That covenant was given at the

beginning of the theocracy. Right after

they got out of Egypt, God gave them the

ten commandments and the case law that

went with it. And that was the what we

call the old covenant. Now, they got a

new one.

and the the the covenant they've been

under is going to become old in

reference to the new.

And that's a fascinating thing. There's

a going to be a restructuring and a uh

restoration

and and things are going to happen. And

so and there's going to be a

restructuring and a reunification

of both the visions of the Old Testament

theocracy.

the 10 northern tribes and the two

southern tribes

going to be put together.

They've been apart since the 10 northern

tribes in 7:22 BC

uh split.

And so now they're it predicts they're

going to come together and Ezekiel will

say the same thing with the two stick

prophecies.

Or do you see the other thing, the older

sister and the younger sister in the

book of Ezekiel?

So Jeremiah is saying something very

similar.

So there's going to be a big

restructuring

uh that's going to take place and uh and

uh on both both divisions of the Old

Testament theocracy are now going to be

united. Israel and Judah.

Big deal.

God says it's going to happen. When's it

going to happen?

That's a big question. When

is it going to happen according to the

text yet?

Think about that one real long ways.

That's a very important thing. Has it

happened yet?

Some say,

but what's the text say?

This is this is very important. This is

pretty basic. There's going to be a

restoration of both tribes to the land.

There's not there's going to be a a

there's going to be a restoration of the

two tribes with each other, a

reconnection, and then a restoration of

both the exiled uh sides of the theocry

uh in the land with the Lord. and

they're going to come back to the land

that was given to their forefathers.

All this is very important stuff.

Everybody follow me? You remember this

section?

So, I'm I I'm talking about chapter 30

and let's just go let's start getting

some verses so we can hang our thoughts

on something. Just I'm just going to dip

into this.

Chapter 30:E3.

Body with me? I want somebody to read

chapter 30 verse 3-9.

were low. The day comes, sayeth the

Lord, that bring again the captivity of

my people Israel and Judah, sayeth the

Lord, and I will cause them to return to

the land that I gave to their fathers,

and they shall protest. Now, just stop a

minute, John, just for a minute. Get you

going again. Israel was the 10 northern

tribes. Judah was the two southern

tribes, right? Judah was a tribe, but it

was also the name of the southern

tribes. And so that was the division

that God predicts is going to

they're going to come back and they're

going they're both going to exile.

They're both going to Babylon. All these

people are the Israelites are already in

Babylon. Now the Judah is going to

excuse me, they're already in exile. The

tribe of Judah is going to go to exile

right now because the Babylonians are

there. The Israelites are already in

exile since way back way back uh before

that.

But God says, "I'm they're going to

return. They're both they're all coming

back and they're going to return to

where?"

The land. God's taking them off the land

in exile. He's bringing them back to the

land. To be taken off the land is to

experience

political death.

Theoccratic death.

Death means separation, right?

Separation from the soul, from the body,

that's physical death. Separation from

God, that's spiritual death. And

separation from the land is theocratic

death.

God takes the Jews off. You die. You

sin, you die.

When you're in the land, you're alive.

When you're on a lion, you're you're

you're you're you're politically dead.

You're separated from the city. You're

separated from each other and all the

rest. So when they coming but when

they're coming back, it's going to be a

re reunification of the people with the

land and a political resurrection from

the dead.

The Bible's full of resurrection,

spiritual resurrection. You have he made

alive who were dead in trespasses and

sins. That happens at the new birth.

Physical resurrection. All that are in

the graves are going to hear his voice

and come forth where the soul and the

body reunite. And then political

resurrection. And that's what we're

talking about here. There's going to be

a a a reconnection and a restructuring

that's going to happen in in in that uh

series of time. And I want you to notice

this. If you look with me to chapter 30

verse three to9 and John keep reading.

We got the get the coming back then keep

reading.

>> And these are the words that the Lord

spurning Israel and concerning Judah.

For thus sayaith the Lord. We heard a

voice of trembling of fear and not of

peace. Ask ye now and see whether a man

does prevail.

Wherefore do I see every man with his

hands on coin with a woman and prevail

and all faces are turned into

alas for that day is great so that none

is like it. It is even the time of

Jacob's trouble and he shall be saved

out of it.

>> Okay, now wait a minute. It's it's the

time of Jacob's trouble.

That's what we call the tribulation,

right?

time of Jacob's trouble. It's the

trouble that the Jews are going to have.

They will be back, but once they get

back, they're going to be in trouble.

And it's it's it's going to be a very,

very serious trouble. And keep going,

John verse 7, the nine.

>> For that day is great, so that none is

like it is even the time of Jacob's

trouble. He shall be saved out of

For it shall come to pass in that day,

sayith the Lord of hosts, that I will

break his yoke, come off my neck, will

burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no

more serve themselves of him. But they

shall serve the Lord their God, and

David their king, whom I will raise up

to them. Okay, of course, David's been

dead, right? This is a long time after

David's day.

He's been dead for centuries.

So, we're talking about a Davidic king

from the line of David. And we know who

that king is, right? The Lord Jesus

Christ. So, there's going to be a a

restruct there's going to be a a

restructuring and reunification of both

divisions of the nation. there's going

to be uh uh then this restructuring is

going to precede the time of Jacob's

trouble. They're going to be back in the

land when that trouble hits them. And

it's going to be a terrible time, but

they'll be saved out of it. They'll be

saved through it. And uh that

restructuring

uh uh will be to the land and to each

other that God gave their forefathers.

That's very important. It's not just any

land.

It's not going to happen in America.

It's not going to happen in Africa. It's

going to happen in the land he gave

their forefathers.

That's all. That's very important. It's

in verse three. I will cause them to

return to the land that I gave to their

forefathers. You know, when the Jews

were thinking of getting a land for

themselves, people suggested these

different places in different parts of

the world.

That's not what God's word said.

someone to make him a colony in Africa.

They different. If you read the history

on that, you know that those are

non-starters because God has already

been very clear there's going to be a

return and there's going to be a

reconnection and there's going to be a

restoration.

And that restoration will eliminate

gentile domination over the Jewish

people. That's verse eight.

I'll break his yoke from off your neck.

Now, everybody thinks Israel's running

the United States. I'll tell you, United

States is running Israel.

>> You can argue that if you want. I I'll

see you on judgment day. We'll see who's

right.

But

Israel is under gentile domination. And

they are not they are not they will be

under gentile domination until

God sets them free from that at the end

of history.

And the restoration will be to the land

and to each others. And it will be

accompanied by a restoration not only to

the land but to the destroyed city of

Jerusalem. And that's verse 17 and 18.

It's getting pretty specific

here, isn't it? The restoration is to

the Lord. It's to It's to the land. It's

to the city of Jerusalem. Verse 17 and

18. And it's a restoration to the Lord.

And that's verse 22. It all goes

together.

It all goes together. It's a package

deal.

So I think this first chapter is very

important. This chapter 30, you say,

"Well, I think that's pretty

interesting. That's I'm kind of

fascinating. Actually, that's pretty

good stuff." Then you get to chapter 31,

right? And it all the classes of Israel,

all the clans of Israel, they're all

coming back. Now, it's not happened yet.

It's not happened yet.

We know in Deuteronomy the Jews will be

in the land in unbelief before they're

in the land with them. But there's a

reathering that chapter 31 verses 8-2

talks about. I'm going to read it by

somebody read 318-12. Just that part.

Who wants it?

>> Watch. I'm going to bring them from the

northern land. I will gather them from

remote regions of the earth. The blind

and the lame will be with them along

with those who are pregnant and those

about to give birth. They will return

here as a great assembly. They will come

weeping, but I will bring them back with

consolation. I will lead them to waddies

filled with water by a smooth way where

they will not stumble. For I am Israel's

father and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Nations, hear the word of the Lord and

tell it among the far off posts. Say,

"The one who scattered Israel will

gather. He will watch over him as a

shepherd guards his flock. For the Lord

has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from

the power of one stronger than he."

>> Okay, that's all good stuff, isn't it?

So the political domination that the

book of Daniel talks about with the

Babylon and and uh u media Persia and

Greece and Rome

he's talking about something that's

going to happen or that's going to be

broken.

It's going to be over. Talking about

things are going to happen I believe at

the end of history. Not something that's

already happened

uh but something that the ultimate will

happen. Very interesting. Now, once that

happens, you're moving into new covenant

territory. Look with me in chapter 31

31-34.

31 31-34.

And look at the particulars of this.

I'll read this one. Behold, the days

come, says the Lord, I will make a new

covenant with the house of Israel and

with the house of Judah. So, it's all 12

tribes, right?

south and north. Not according to the

covenant I made with their fathers in

the day 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 to them. What was that covenant?

That was the ten commandments. That's

the Mosaic covenant. That's the covenant

in Exodus uh 19 and 20. And there's a

little word if in that covenant. if they

obey.

Bring in the end of the land, but if you

obey,

there's no if here.

This is not a conditional covenant. This

is an unconditional covenant. A

conditional covenant is if you do this,

this will happen.

An unconditional covenant is I'm going

to do this and it's not based on what

you do.

>> The Abrahamic covenant is an

unconditional covenant. You get the

land.

Whether you believe or not, whether you

deserve it or not, you get the land.

That's an unconditional covenant. The

Ten Commandments is a conditional

covenant. If you obey, you enjoy your

land. If you don't obey, I'm going to

take you off the land.

And the uh so there's different kinds of

covenants. There's unconditional and

conditional covenants. And that's that's

pretty basic in the Old Testament.

So, uh, where we at in there? I've

forgotten where I'm at. Verse, uh, 30

33. But this shall be the covenant I'll

make with the house of Israel after

those days, says the Lord, I'll put my

law in their inward parts and write it

in their heart, and will be their God,

and they'll be my people. So, this is

not outward.

This is not an outward ten commandments

in stone. This is a law in your heart

where you're born again.

They'll teach no more every man his

neighbor, every man his brother, saying,

"Know the Lord, for they all know me

from the least of them to the greatest,

for I will forgive their iniquity and

remember their sin no more." This

covenant is so good. It's knowledge of

God, forgiveness of sins. Uh there's

there's awful lot of stuff uh that's

going on here.

And then in verse 35, thus says the Lord

who gives the sun by light by day and

the ordinance of the moon, stars by

night, who divides the sea when its

waves roar the Lord of hosts his name.

If those ordinances depart from before

me, says the Lord, then the seed of

Israel depart from me forever. And then

he does other stuff. You can measure the

heaven above and the below and the and

the middle of the earth, which you can't

do. Other words, I'm going to do it

and nobody's going to stop it. it's

going to happen.

And so that's what the Lord says. Now in

chapter 32, Jeremiah buys the field.

And if you read if you read 30 and 31

and you read 32 and you read 33, the

word land land is in there. This

covenant is not just for people to get

saved.

It is that

they're going to be born again. They're

going to have a knowledge of God.

They're going to have a forgiveness of

sins. They're going to have a a

positional righteousness before God,

but they're going to get the land.

They're going to be uh and Jeremiah

buying the field is an illustration of

that. We're dealing with the same

subject.

And so all that's rather kind of

fascinating, isn't it? And then in

chapter 33, you got a reinstitution of

the Davidic kingdom and the ironic

priests.

That's a stumper.

How do we make all that fit?

You see, they're going back to the city.

There's going to be a temple. There's

going to be a priesthood. And there's

going to be a king. The king is going to

be of the line of David. He's going to

rule on David's throne. The temple is

the temple that Ezekiel talks about. in

the last chapters of his book, The

Millennial

Temple. Everybody following me?

So, all of this is very interesting.

And so, as we look through this

um

their city is just about ready going to

be destroyed. Their temple's going to be

destroyed. their their country is going

to be destroyed. They're going to be

taken off the land. Everything's going

to go down.

And be right at the time when there's no

question about it going down, God says,

"I'm going to give it back after it's

destroyed,

you'll be better,

and you'll be under a better covenant

with better rulers in a better kingdom."

Did you ever go to a dentist? And uh I

spent a lot of time in a dentist office

as a kid. I think I ate too much candy.

But

the dentist would always say, "This

going to hurt a little bit." It always

hurt more than he said. They got that

needle out. They stick it in your gums.

And yet, uh the dentist is going to hurt

a little. And you know it's going to

hurt.

And it does hurt, but not as bad as if

they're jerking a tooth out or trying to

fill a tooth without knowing.

So the exile hurt a lot.

Didn't hurt as much as hell.

Didn't hurt as much as eternal judgment.

And so that's what we're dealing with in

these sections of scripture.

Um

and if you just look at the end of 33

just a moment uh it's very interesting

in verse

he talks about verse 11 the voice of joy

the voice of gladness the voice of the

bridegroom the voice of the bride 3311

voice of of them who say praise the Lord

of hosts for the Lord is good for his

mercy endures forever and of those who

shall bring the sacrifice of praise into

the house of the Lord that's millennial

sacrifices says, "For I will cause to

return the captivity of the land."

Remember, this chapter deals with

Jeremiah buying land as at the first,

>> I'm talking 33:11. Thus says the Lord of

hosts, "Again, in this place, which is

desolate, without man, without beast,

and all its cities shall inhabit it,

shall be inhabitation of shepherds,

causing their flocks to lie down, in the

cities of the mountains, and the cities

of Chafala.

In the cities of the Negv, in the land

of Benjamin, in the places of Jerusalem,

and in the cities of Judah, shall flocks

pass under the hands of him that come,

says the Lord. Behold, the days come,

says the Lord, that I'll perform the

good thing which I promised unto the

house of Israel and the house of Judah.

And then verse

25, if my covenant is be not with day

and night, and I've appointed the

ordinances of heaven and earth, my

covenant be not with day and night. And

if I have not appointed the ordinances

of heaven and earth, then will I cast

away the seed of Jacob and David my

servant, so that I will not take any of

his seed to be rulers over the seed of

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I'll

cause their captivity to return, and

I'll have mercy on them.

We're going to have mercy. They're

coming back. The kingdom's coming back,

new and improved in every way. Now,

where was Jeremiah when he gave this

prophecy? He's in prison.

Oh, he's got a piece of property he just

bought with 17 shekels, but the

Babylonians got that. Jeremiah's in

prison. He's been imprisoned by King Jed

Zedekiah. This Jeremiah is in prison and

the city's imprisoned by King

Nebuchadnezzar. So Jeremiah is a

prisoner of the prisoners.

Nebuchadnezzar's taken the whole city

prison prisoners and then he is the

prisoner of the prisoners

and the prisoner of the prisoners gets a

message of hope.

This is kind of good. I like it when

God, these people had to be in absolute

despair.

Where God gives this message of hope,

great and difficult things

is how one translates it. Verse three,

God's letting them and us in on a

secret.

the restoration and the salvation of the

Jewish people. Not just their salvation,

not just their salvation and being

forgiven of their sins. Restoration to

the land mentioned in verse 7, verse 11

and verse 26. Salvation is already also

mentioned in verse 8. This is the last

chapter of four chapters of comfort.

And chapter 31 is the new covenant.

Chapter 32, buy the land.

And he does because the new covenant is

the basis for Jeremiah making that

purchase.

Near future captivity, ultimate future,

return from captivity.

Now ask yourself this question.

Where in scripture or in history since

Jeremiah

gave these prophecies

have these prophecies been fulfilled?

The Jews came back.

Yes, they did. They built Jerusalem.

Herod built the temple.

But uh was a Davidic king ruling?

Well, the Davidic king came and they

crucified him.

It's very It's kind of interesting. When

has this been so? It hasn't been so.

They did. They had a return, but it

hasn't been so.

It's a fascinating business.

But if you if you look at these

prophecies, it's it's something beyond

all that.

It's not just the near future, the

difference between the Old Testament and

the New Testament. It's the ultimate

future.

And isn't that what's we really need if

we're going to be comforted?

All right. Uh I got a sickness. I've got

to deal with it. I'm How long am I going

to be sick? I'm going to get better.

It's going to take a few years. Okay.

But then by five years, you should be

better. Okay. I got an ultimate hope.

And so this is a picture here.

God's covenant with David and God's

covenant with Phineas. We'll get to that

at another time or coming in here. The

divinity covenant 2 Samuel 7 covenant

with Phineas is numbers 25:13

Numbers 25:13

and so forth and number 17.

Now, God's promising things here that

are beyond

the imagination

of anybody in that nation.

Nobody is thinking like this except

Jeremiah. And Jeremiah was thinking like

this because God told him.

And so if you look at the Old Testament

mediatorial kingdom which we sometimes

call the theocracy, the monarchy and the

priesthood were two bases of it.

And the third would be the prophets.

Prophecies prophets like Jeremiah had a

three-fold division of government which

is a good biblical basis for that.

But this is far beyond human insight.

No human being could ever imagine this.

Neither could any human being imagine

that God would have to come down and die

for the new covenant to be put into

force before the end of history. God

himself had to come and pay for sins

that had to be paid for so the ultimate

restoration could take place. And that's

what the first coming of Jesus was all

about to prepare for the second coming

of the Lord Jesus.

Um hope this is somewhat helpful to you.

Uh we will continue to look at this

section. The next section deals with uh

it kind of moves on uh with Zedekiah the

king. And that's uh we will continue if

we don't have the materials by next

week, we'll deal with uh deal with

chapter 34. But if we do, we will just

uh uh go go right into the palm mill

debate among God's people.

Any questions on that?

A lot isn't it? I would I if I can give

you some homework, just go through these

chapters and underline where does it say

Judah and Israel together and what

what's it talk what's this uh go through

the things that repeat watch the word

land

have the joy of of discovery

and watch the the benefits of the new

covenant

knowledge of God forgiveness and all the

things that go with it

and we will continue with this next

time. Thank you, Father, for what we've

looked at tonight. Challenge us with

your word. What a blessed word it is.

And what an encouraging thing it is to

come together tonight. Help us in these

things where good Christians differ. May

we not judge our brothers and sisters in

the Lord to take a different position on

this than we do. help us to know

why we take our position, maybe why they

take theirs, and give a clarity in these

things. May we be gracious and

charitable as we wait for the coming of

our savior because we know just like

they were surprised,

things turned out a little differently

than any of them imagined,

he will be too.

And uh so help us father to know that

none of us will have 100%

none of us are going to get 100% on the

final test on esquetology.

Uh uh we just want a passing grade and

look forward to help [clears throat] and

do it as best as we can in our as we

know in part we prophesy in part Jesus

name.

Thank you.

Lord, [singing]

as we go from this [music] place,

loving you [singing] more, [music]

trusting you more.

May the power of your [singing] love

[music]

and the light of your word shine

to a sin darkened [singing and music]

world. As we go from this place,