Jeremiah 49:23
The Bible says in Jeremiah 49:23-27, Concerning
Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings:
they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.[24]
Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on
her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.[25] How
is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy![26] Therefore her
young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in
that day, saith the LORD of hosts.[27] And I will kindle a fire in the
wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.
In addition to pronouncing the destruction that would come upon Damascus, this passage of
scripture also makes it very clear what happened to these people that ensured
their destruction. They became fearful. It says in verse 23 that they became fainthearted. It says
in verse 24, Damascus is waxed feeble. And
it also says in verse 24, fear hath seized
on her. What caused this fear? From a human
standpoint, it says in verse 23, for they
have heard evil tidings. In other words,
nothing had happened yet, but they simply heard about the possibility of
negative things coming. Of course, anyone who does not trust in the Lord will
be subject to fear, and will easily be overcome by it. One of the many benefits
of being a Christian is that when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus and His
promises, we can live without fear even in the face of impending dangers. It
says in First John 5:4, For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcomes the
world, even our faith. It says in Second
Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the
spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The Word of God also says in First John 4:18, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out
fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 49:28-33, Concerning
Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil
the men of the east.[29] Their tents and their flocks shall they take
away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and
their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side.[30]
Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD;
for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath
conceived a purpose against you.[31] Arise, get you up unto the wealthy
nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates
nor bars, which dwell alone.[32] And their camels shall be a booty, and
the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them
that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides
thereof, saith the LORD.[33] And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons,
and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man
dwell in it. The people of Kedar were a nomadic type of people who
lived in northern Saudi
Arabia and were descendents of Ishmael. They
had a different kind of life than the other nations that surrounded Israel.
They were evidently quite prosperous with their large flocks and herds. Why
were the people of Kedar judged? All of the nations surrounding Israel
were judged. For one reason all of these nations had some access to Israel
and to the truth from God that came through some of the Israelites. Until God
set the Jewish people aside, the Jewish people were Gods chosen people to
spread the truth to the rest of the world. Those who lived closest to the Jews
had the best opportunity to come to know the truth. The measure of you responsibility
is the measure of your opportunity. Jesus said in Matthew 11:20-24 to the
cities that He visited when He went through Israel preaching the Gospel, Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his
mighty works were done, because they repented not:[21] Woe unto thee,
Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!
for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.[22] But
I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of
judgment, than for you.[23] And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto
heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been
done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.[24]
But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in
the day of judgment, than for thee.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 49:34-39, The word of
the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the
reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,[35] Thus saith the LORD of
hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.[36]
And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and
will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither
the outcasts of Elam shall not come.[37] For I will cause Elam to be
dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will
bring evil upon them even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the
sword after them, till I have consumed them:[38] And I will set my
throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith
the LORD.[39] But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will
bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD. We see a
common theme in the judgments brought upon all these nations: they sin. They do
not repent. God brings judgment. The judgment involves war and destruction. All
of this is symbolic of the fact that we are all sinners, and we all need to
repent and turn to Jesus. Jesus is the Savior. There will be no escape unless
we turn to Christ. Future salvation is symbolized by the fact that God said in
Jeremiah 49:39, But it shall come to pass
in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD. In other words these people have the hope of being
restored to the way their lives were meant to be. That is one of the promises
of heaven: finally we will experience life the way it was meant to be lived: close
to God, without sin, or any of the consequences of sin. It says about heaven in
Revelation 21:3-7, And I heard a great
voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be
with them, and be their God.[4] And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.[5]
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.[6] And he
said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I
will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
freely.[7] He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:1-5, The word
that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by
Jeremiah the prophet.[2] Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and
set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is
confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images
are broken in pieces.[3] For out of the north there cometh up a nation
against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein:
they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.[4] In those
days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they
and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek
the LORD their God.[5] They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces
thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual
covenant that shall not be forgotten. God used the Kingdom of Babylon
in order to punish the other nations, but Babylon
itself also was judged because Jesus is the King of kings and all nations and
all leaders will answer to Him. This was true in the time of Jeremiah and it is
still true today. Do not fear what the king will do. It would be much wiser to
fear what the King of kings will do, if and when He decides to bring judgment.
Jesus will bring judgment in the last
days as never before seen in this world. As a matter of fact, the events that
took place in the life of Jeremiah foreshadow exactly what will happen in the
last days. In the days of Jeremiah Israel was under attack. That kind of
all-out war against Israel
will happen in the last days and will culminate with the battle of Armageddon.
As well as Israel, in the
days of Jeremiah all the nations surrounding Israel were judged. In the last
days all the nations of the earth will be judged.
If you want to know what is going to
happen in the future, simply read history. That is especially true of the
history that is recorded in the Bible. For example, Jesus said in Luke 17:26, And as it
was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of
man.
Jeremiah 50:1-5 is a great synopsis of exactly what will happen in the last
days. No one should worry about the antichrist taking over the modern-day
representation of the kingdom
of Babylon. That will
happen just as it says in First John 2:18, Little children, it is the last
time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many
antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. It also
says in Second Thessalonians 2:6-8, And now ye know what withholdeth
that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And
then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit
of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Jeremiah
also made it very clear that Babylon
is doomed before it even gets off the ground. Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 50:1,
The
word that the LORD spake against Babylon
Among the great events of the last
days will be the rise and fall of the latter day manifestation of the Kingdom of Babylon. The book of Revelation goes
into great detail about this event and how much the people of the world will be
shocked and astounded at the destruction of Babylon. It says in Revelation 18:9-19, And the
kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with
her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her
burning,[10] Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying,
Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy
judgment come.[11] And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn
over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:[12] The
merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine
linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner
vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass,
and iron, and marble,[13] And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and
frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and
sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.[14] And
the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things
which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them
no more at all.[15] The merchants of these things, which were made rich
by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,[16]
And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and
purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls![17]
For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and
all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar
off,[18] And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What
city is like unto this great city![19] And they cast dust on their
heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city,
wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her
costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
There is one more important truth to
point out about Jeremiah 50:1-5 that is symbolic of what will happen in the
last days when it says in verse 4, In those days, and in that time,
saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of
Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God. The entire
nation of Israel
(what is left of it) will turn to the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.
One of Gods great purposes for the human race was to save Israel. God will accomplish His
goal. As a matter of fact in the age of grace in which we now live, when
Gentiles believe in Jesus, these believing Gentiles enter into the salvation
that God planned for Israel.
It says in Romans 11:26, And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is
written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away
ungodliness from Jacob: It also says in Zechariah 12:10, And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they
shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is
in bitterness for his firstborn. God will go
to great lengths to help people see their need of Jesus. The entire course of
human history is organized so that the nation of Israel will eventually all see
their need of Christ as Savior.
___________________________________________________
Copyright; 2013 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved