Jeremiah 28
(Remember, Jeremiah was wearing a yoke on his neck…)
1 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of Jehovah, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,
(Hananiah spoke to Jeremiah in front of all the people…)
2 Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of Jehovah's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried to Babylon:
4 and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went to Babylon, saith Jehovah; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
(Hananiah prophesied falsely that the temple would be restored in two years. Hananiah was aware of the yoke from Nebuchadnezzar and Hananiah said that the yoke would be broken in two years. This prophecy would be proven false when it was not fulfilled.)
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of Jehovah,
6 even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: Jehovah do so; Jehovah perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of Jehovah's house, and all them of the captivity, from Babylon unto this place.
(Jeremiah, in front of them all, said, "Amen: Jehovah do so..." Jeremiah knew this would not happen but was agreeing with his adversary quickly: Matthew 5:25.)
7 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people:
8 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
9 The prophet that prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that Jehovah hath truly sent him.
(Prophets would be measured as God’s prophets when the words they spoke came to pass.)
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it.
(Hananiah broke the yoke on Jeremiah's neck, the one that God had appointed Jeremiah to put there: Jeremiah 27:2.)
11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon within two full years from off the neck of all the nations. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
(Hananiah falsely prophesied that breaking the yoke on Jeremiah's neck symbolized God breaking the yoke from Nebuchadnezzar in two years time.)
12 Then the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
13 Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Thou hast broken the bars of wood; but thou hast made in their stead bars of iron.
14 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.
15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.
(Jeremiah confronted Hananiah about his lies. Hananiah was damaging the people because they were trusting in him and his false words.)
16 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken rebellion against Jehovah.
(In that year, Hananiah would die because of the destruction he caused.)
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
(Jeremiah was proven to be a prophet of God: Hananiah died that year.)
Jeremiah 29
1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,
(The words of the letter of Jeremiah to the people in captivity…)
2 (after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem,)
3 by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,) saying,
4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon:
5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
(God told the captive Jews to build houses and to plant gardens while they were in another land.)
6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.
(The people were to multiply while in Babylon and not diminish (to become small/few). God did not want the exile from Judah to cause the Jews to become few but wanted the Jews to grow while they were in exile.)
7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
(The Jews were told to pray for the city in which they were held captive.)
8 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Jehovah.
10 For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
(The people received another warning to not listen to the false prophets. The people would be in captivity for seventy years before they returned to their place. Any person who spoke different words than this was a false prophet.)
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.
12 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
(Those who sought God with all their heart would find Him.)
14 And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places wither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
(The people who truly sought out God would be restored to Israel. Verses 15-19 transitioned from restoration to judgment…)
15 Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16 thus saith Jehovah concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17 thus saith Jehovah of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
(Those people who believed that God raised up prophets in Babylon would be met with the sword, famine, and pestilence.)
18 And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an execration, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them;
19 because they have not hearkened to my words, saith Jehovah, wherewith I sent unto them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith Jehovah.
(These people did not listen to God but chose to listen and trust in false prophets.)
20 Hear ye therefore the word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
(Judgment on false prophets…)
21 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie unto you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
(A false prophet named Ahab (not the evil king) and another named Zedekiah (also not the king) would be killed so that the people could see.)
22 and of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah that are in Babylon, saying, Jehovah make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
(It appeared that these men were killed by the same method that Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3) attempted to use against Daniel's friends in the fiery furnace.)
23 because they have wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I commanded them not; and I am he that knoweth, and am witness, saith Jehovah.
24 And concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite thou shalt speak, saying,
(Shemaiah appeared to have been the leader of the false prophets.)
25 Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thine own name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
26 Jehovah hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of Jehovah, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in the stocks and in shackles.
(Shemaiah claimed that Jeremiah made himself a prophet.)
27 Now therefore, why hast thou not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who maketh himself a prophet to you,
28 forasmuch as he hath sent unto us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them?
29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
30 Then came the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying,
31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he hath caused you to trust in a lie;
(God told Jeremiah to speak judgment against the false prophet Shemaiah…)
32 therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good that I will do unto my people, saith Jehovah, because he hath spoken rebellion against Jehovah.
(Shemaiah would not have a seed and would not see the good that God would bring to His people.)
Jeremiah 30
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,
2 Thus speaketh Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.
(God told Jeremiah to write down all the words God told him into a book. God told him this after Jerusalem was destroyed and the people were in captivity.)
3 For, lo, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith Jehovah; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
(The reason God told Jeremiah to write these words was so when the people returned (in seventy years) they would have Jeremiah's book.)
4 And these are the words that Jehovah spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
(Verses 5-7: the Great Tribulation - the second 3 1/2 years of the seven year Tribulation after the Rapture of the Church.)
6 Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child: wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
7 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.
8 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds; and strangers shall no more make him their bondman;
(In that day, God will break the yoke of the Antichrist.)
9 but they shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
(Since king David had long been dead, this verse meant that Christ will reign, from the throne of David given to David by God.)
10 Therefore fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith Jehovah; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with thee, saith Jehovah, to save thee: for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, but I will not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and will in no wise leave thee unpunished.
(Israel will be restored…however, they will be corrected and judged.)
12 For thus saith Jehovah, Thy hurt is incurable, and thy wound grievous.
13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.
14 All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not: for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased.
(All the other nations that sought out Israel and led them towards idols would be no where to be found. It was too late for Israel to cry to other nations for help.)
15 Why criest thou for thy hurt? thy pain is incurable: for the greatness of thine iniquity, because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
16 Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that despoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.
17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jehovah; because they have called thee an outcast, saying, It is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.
(Eventually (after seventy years), God would restore their health. Israel had been called an "outcast": a description of a wife who was put away from her husband because of fornication.)
18 Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will turn again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have compassion on his dwelling-places; and the city shall be builded upon its own hill, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner.
(This rebuilding of Jerusalem referred to the time of the second physical coming of Christ.)
19 And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
(Israel will be blessed abundantly…)
20 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me; and I will punish all that oppress them.
21 And their prince shall be of themselves, and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is he that hath had boldness to approach unto me? saith Jehovah.
22 And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
(…however, there will be a great Tribulation…)
23 Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, even his wrath, is gone forth, a sweeping tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of Jehovah shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall understand it.
(This post covered warnings about and judgments on false prophets. Also, prophecies that referred to the end of the Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon. The next chapter continued from this same point in time...)
Day 233
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