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783. Bible Study: Jeremiah 24 and 25 (Obey God's Warnings or Bring Judgement home) · Faith by annm2705

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Chapter 24 from the book of Jeremiah a reminder of why I'm
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reading chapter after chapter because it says in the Bible all
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scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
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correcting and training in righteousness so that the
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servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
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Dear Lord, please open our eyes and ears to hear what you have
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to say through the scripture to us.
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We ask this in Jesus name. So chapter 24 begins after Jerry
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Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiachim, king of Judah, and the
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officials, the skilled workers, and the artisans of Judah were
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carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by
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Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The Lord showed me two baskets
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of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord.
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One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early.
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The other basket had very bad figs, so bad they couldn't be
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eaten and they weren't ready. So the study Bible says why do
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some figs ripen earlier than others?
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The long growing season in the land of Israel makes it possible
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for figs to ripen 2 * a year. The first figs produce the
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sweetest crop. These choice figs symbolized the
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first exiles that had already been carried away into Babylon
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in six O 5 and 597 BC. So why would God regard the
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Exiles as good? Undoubtedly there were righteous
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men and women in Judah who had never bowed their knees to
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idols, yet who became captives in Babylon.
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Daniel and his friends were taken in the first exile in six
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O 5 BC, Ezekiel in the second at 597 BC.
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Yet the more likely idea here is that the Exiles removed from
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Judah. Yet the more likely idea here is
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that the Exiles removed from Judah would be a source of the
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rebuilding of Israel. the Exiles served to refine the nation and
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turn the people back to God. So God always has a good purpose
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for the things that He does. And then it says, how did they
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return to God? The key to repentance and
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transformation is found in God's promise.
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I will give them a heart to know me.
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This first indicates that God must first work in people's
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lives before they will turn to Him.
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It was only because of the Lord's mercy that the Exiles
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could change and hope to return to God.
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So it's always, you know, God pursues us before we ever pursue
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Him, and then it's up to our response.
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But then God, just like he helps constantly because when we turn
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to him, then he, Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit which will help
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who helps us. OK, going back to Scripture.
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Then the Lord said to me, Jeremiah, or what do you see,
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Jeremiah figs? I answered, the good ones are
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very good, but the bad ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.
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Then the word of the Lord came to me.
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So this is interesting again, just thinking about what
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Jeremiah is experiencing. He sees, he has a vision, he
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sees this, and then the word of the Lord came to me.
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It's just like the words come to your thoughts, like you see
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something and you're maybe not sure what you're supposed to
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learn from it, but all of a sudden the word of the Lord
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comes to you. And and that's really
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interesting to see how God works with people, how God
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communicates with people. It can sometimes be through the
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thoughts they'll see like Jeremiah had visions, so he had
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a vision of this. He could see this and this was
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God speaking to him, God communicating with him in this
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way. So he says, then the word of the
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Lord came to me. This is what the Lord, the God
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of Israel says. Like these good figs, I regard
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as good the Exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place
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to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for
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their good, and I will bring them back to this land.
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I will build them up and not tear them down.
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I will plant them and not uproot them.
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I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord.
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They will be my people and I will be their God, for they will
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return to me with all their heart.
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So God always seems to have a remnant of people.
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He whenever he brings about destruction, there are usually
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some that are saved and for what reason.
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You know, God does say I'll have mercy on whom I have mercy.
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Maybe there's things he knows about that person that nobody
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else knows. And then he, out of his
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compassion lets them, even though they're not, they're
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still a Sinner, but he does have mercy on them.
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But let OK. And then it continues.
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But like the bad figs, which are so bad they can't be eaten, says
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the Lord. So I will deal with Zedekiah,
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king of Judah, his officials and their survivors from Jerusalem,
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whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.
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Notice that these that he's calling out Egypt now it's kind
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of interesting because I guess they were fleeing to Egypt.
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That was one of the things that God would say don't try to go to
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Egypt again. You always try to go to Egypt.
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I got you out of Egypt. I took you out of Egypt.
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I took you out of slavery. And then every time they have,
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you know, something happen, it seems like they flee to Egypt
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for help. So he says I will make them
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abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a
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reproach and a byword, a curse and an object of ridicule.
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Wherever I banish them, I will send the sword, famine and
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plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I
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gave them and their ancestors. So this is to specifically the
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people of Judah. And it's interesting to me
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because he's, he's the judgement he's pronouncing on the people
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who keep going to Egypt and don't listen to him, like
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Zedekiah, who was given all these warnings, but he kept
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refusing Jeremiah and ignoring him.
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And so the people who were, you know, resistant to God's
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calling, like he warned them so many times, those who were
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resistant, they suffered the punishment.
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And that's the sword famine and plague.
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So when I saw those, those sword, famine and plague, it's
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really interesting because it lines up with the Book of
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Revelation and the seals that are open.
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So the the second seal is sword or war, the third seal is
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famine, and the fourth seal is a plague or or death.
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So those are all those are consistent with the way he was
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dealing with the people of Judah.
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And so was this the foreshadowing of a future event?
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Because this future event is going to apply to all nations.
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Right now this is applying to Judah.
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But in the future in the Book of Revelation, this is to all the
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unrepentant. So the word of the we're
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finished with chapter 24 now, and we'll go on to chapter 25.
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The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of
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Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of
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Judah, which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of
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Babylon. So Jeremiah the prophet said to
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the people of Judah and to all those living in Jerusalem for 23
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years, from the 13th year of Josiah son of Ammon, king of
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Judah, until this very day, the word of the Lord has come to me
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and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not
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listened. So Jeremiah is reminding them,
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I've been telling you guys this for 23 years now and you ignored
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me and I've warned you of this, but you would not listen.
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So look at how patient God is. God kept telling Jeremiah about
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this. Jeremiah didn't want to say all
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this. He hated it because everybody
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hated him and it wasn't pleasant for him to say the things that
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he did, but he couldn't hold it in either.
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That's what an earlier chapter says about Jeremiah, is that he
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just felt it so strongly. And I guess is it through his
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spirit that he had to say these things that he said.
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He just felt compelled to say them and he couldn't resist
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saying them because it was too hard to hold it in.
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And so that's how, you know, God will use people to speak on his
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behalf. I mean, ones that he's chosen,
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he chose Jeremiah to do this. And he had the the purpose of
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him speaking to Jeremiah wasn't, you know, so Jeremiah would be a
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celebrity or anything like that. It was to warn other people for
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the benefit of other people. That's the thing about anyone
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who claims to be a prophet today have discernment about that.
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Are they glorifying themselves and making themselves look like
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there's somebody, you know, really important?
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Or are they talking about primarily repentance and getting
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closer to God? Are they bringing people closer
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to God, or are they putting the focus on themselves?
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And you can just see that there is, you know, God uses people
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for his will. He wants people to be saved.
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He doesn't want people to suffer destruction.
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But he's a God of justice. So he basically has to eradicate
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evil in order to have his Kingdom come.
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That will be what happens is evil will be eradicated.
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Evil tends to be anyone who rebels against God because God
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is good. God is love, so the opposite of
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love is not good. And that's what God is getting
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rid of. God is thinning out the
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population for the ones who don't want to abide in him.
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They don't want to live by his commands.
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They don't love God. So OK, going back to Scripture
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and through the and though the Lord has sent all his servants,
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the prophets to you again and again.
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So this is something also is that prophets are servants of
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God. They are essentially, I was
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looking into slavery recently and, and basically they are
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somewhat a slave, a willful slave, or they could also rebel
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a little bit like Jonah. But God's will always prevails.
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Like God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh to speak to them because
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he wanted them to be saved basically, or to know him.
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And Jonah didn't like the people of Nineveh.
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He didn't want them because they were so bad.
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He didn't want them to benefit from the Lord.
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So he went the opposite direction.
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But that's when God showed him, hey, I called you, I told you to
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do this and you're going to do this.
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I mean, eventually Jonah decided to work with God first.
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He decided he refused to and God sent, you know, this great big
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storm and, and made it a very terrible trip.
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So God would do that to people. Sometimes if he has a calling on
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someone and they don't listen to him and they go their own way,
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they'll make it a little bit rough with the intention again
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to bring people back to him. He has a will, He has a purpose.
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And if he said this is what you need to do, that's what you need
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to do. And if we are saying that we are
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in alignment with God, if we love God and we, you know, let
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God guide us, then when God tells us to do something for his
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purpose, it's something that we need to listen to.
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And of course, we need to really have discernment because we have
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to make sure that it's not the enemy telling us to do
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something. We have to make sure it's not
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our own thoughts that we're saying, oh, this must be from
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God. Well, it could be our own
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thoughts too. So there's a lot of spiritual
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discernment that we get through Scripture, through knowing the
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Word of God, through knowing God's character, before we can
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ever determine is this, you know, where is this originating?
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We need to know God very well before that.
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OK, so they said, turn now each of you from your evil ways and
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your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave
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you for your ancestors forever and ever.
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So all Jeremiah was saying was repent and you can have this
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land, but they didn't listen. He said do not follow other gods
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to serve and worship them. Do not arouse my anger with what
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your hands have made, then I will not harm you.
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So listen to that like following other gods, serving them,
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worship, you know, doing what they influence.
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Again, we do get influenced by the spiritual realm and it could
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be the godly Holy Spirit influencing us.
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It could be an evil spirit tormenting or influencing us.
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But there's, there's really just good and evil.
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It's not, there's nothing in between.
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So what do we get influenced by? And and of course, God is
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wanting to get rid of evil, so he doesn't want us to be
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influenced by that. So it's like, don't follow other
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gods, don't serve them. When we start doing disobedient
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things to God, we're actually serving his enemy.
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When we do that and worship them, do not arouse my anger
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with what your hands have made, then I will not harm you.
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So this is something that people might be really resistant to, to
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hearing that then I will not harm you.
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That's kind of like a threat. But it's not.
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It is and it isn't. It's not something forceful.
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It's just God is a God of justice, so he can't be a God of
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justice and do nothing about evil.
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So he has to address evil. So if evil is in our life, he's
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going to address at some point. And look at how he, you know,
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it's kind of like an open book test.
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It's like your answers are all here.
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All you have to do is apply it to your life and and then you
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will, you know, if you learn from the word, it's, it's
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foolishness to hear the word, to memorize scripture, but not to
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follow it, not to do what it says.
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That's just foolishness and it's of no benefit.
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You could be very smart, educated on Scripture, but if
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you don't apply it to your life, it's useless.
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It's you're not any better than the person who doesn't even
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know. In fact, you might even be worse
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because it says something about the punishment for those who
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knew and still did. You know.
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People will be judged by what they know.
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And so if you, if you have scripture memorized and you're,
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you know, you don't want to be a hypocrite, you want to live by
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it because if you don't, you're going to have a harsher
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judgement because you knew if you're quoting scripture and
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you're not living by it, then God has warned us about that.
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So let's see. But you did not listen to me,
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declares the Lord. And you have aroused my anger
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with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to
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yourselves. Again, look at this like people
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are harming themselves by doing something.
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Sin separates us from God. If we're separated from God, we
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don't have his protection and it's all he gives us free will.
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So we can choose to sin or to abide in Christ.
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And so there are consequences and God deals with evil for the
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good of others. I found this interesting too.
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It's like what your hands have made.
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So this is a little what popped into my head right now was AI
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and, and this is like something created by people and it's, you
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know, taking off. And it will be just as in the
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past when technology accelerates, this is going to
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accelerate as well. It already is.
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And what it can do and it's becoming a crutch for people
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like people are, it seems like people will kind of dumb
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themselves down because they can rely on a source.
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You don't have to like remember all these things if you can just
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go to a source and search it and then find it.
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And, and So what do you retain in your mind?
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That's why again, reading scripture every day is really
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important because that's going to get it ingrained in your
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mind. It's going to be committed to
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memory and, and it's then you can apply it to your life when
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you know it like that. So therefore, the Lord Almighty
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says this, because you have not listened to my words, I will
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summon all the peoples of the north, and my servant
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Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, declares the Lord, and I will
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bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all
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the surrounding nations. That's really interesting.
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So even the other nations. So this is goes way beyond just
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Judah and Jerusalem. I will completely destroy them
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and make them an object of horror and scorn and an
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everlasting rune. I will banish from them the
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sounds and of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and
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bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the
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lamp. There's a lot here that I wonder
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if it's symbolic because, you know, the not being with God in
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the presence of God eliminates joy and gladness.
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Like God is the source of that. And and so God's talking about
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banishing people so they don't have the sounds of joy and
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gladness. And the voices of the bride and
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bridegroom, well, that's a symbolism or a metaphor for a
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lot of the Bible between Jesus being the bridegroom and
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Jerusalem the bride. And there's a lot of symbology
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in that. And so if they if they're
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banished, they're not going to be participating as the bride or
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bridegroom. And then the sounds of
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millstones, I don't know what that relates to.
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I don't have a good understanding of that, so I
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can't comment on that. But then the light of the lamp,
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then I think about the 10 virgins and remember some had
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oil for their lamps and others didn't.
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So if he's saying I will banish them and they're not going to
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have the light of the lamp. So are these the people who
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don't listen to God that he's talking about?
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Says the whole country will become a desolate wasteland and
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these nations will serve the king of Babylon 70 years.
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So again, this is sounds like it's probably a foreshadowing of
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a future event. It's similar to what God is
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planned in the at the end of the age, and this is he's giving a
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time frame for it, 70 years of serving the king of Babylon.
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That's another thing that we see when we read Scripture is that
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sometimes God turns people over to what they keep going after.
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And that's really a scary proposition.
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Not a proposition, but a scary event that could happen that we
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would be turned over to our desires because if our desires
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are contrary to God and God turns us over to them.
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I mean, he's, he's just like he lets us go that way.
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That's, I mean, is there a return at that point?
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I mean it, I, I don't know the answer to that because yeah,
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it's just, but I, I, I want God to keep, you know, keep me in
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line, keep me, keep pursuing me like I want God to keep me on
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the right path. I don't want to be turned over
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to things that are against what God, what I might desire, but
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what God doesn't want for me. So it's just something that it
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it we need to have a really good relationship with God.
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But when the 70 years are fulfilled, I will punish the
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king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians for
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their guilt declares the Lord and will make it desolate
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forever. So God spoke about this.
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He doesn't let anyone get off like he is using the king of
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Babylon to bring about judgment on the people who would not
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repent, but and he's letting them, you know, succeed for 70
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years. That's kind of scary too, isn't
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it, that you would have some anti God entity ruling for 70
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years and be under that. You know, you're turned over,
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you don't listen to God. So all of a sudden then you get
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this ruler. It's just like when the
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Israelites wanted a king, but they had God, but they wanted a
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physical king and they and the God said, OK, but this is not
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really going to be that good for you.
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And they got they got Saul and Saul looked perfect.
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He played the part perfect, but he didn't listen to God only
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partially. He would listen to some things
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of God, but then he would think he knew better and he would do
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what he thought was the best. And God's not looking for that.
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God's looking for someone who will be fully submitted, you
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know, in a leadership role to him.
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It's he, you know, who doesn't disobey God.
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He wants the person to obey God. And Samuel was trying to get
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Saul on the right path, but he kept doing his own thing and
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Samuel was getting frustrated with him.
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And so eventually God took away the throne from Saul and brought
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David in because of Saul's disobedience.
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And David wasn't a perfect person by any means, but he it
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said that his heart was set on God.
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So he's still messed up. He was still a Sinner.
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His heart, his relationship with God was a priority to him and he
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had a good relationship with God.
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So, you know, God viewed him in a good way, even though he
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wasn't a perfect person. So it's our our reaction to God
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that matters to Him. It's where our heart is, where
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our desires are. I will bring on that land all
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the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this
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book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all nations.
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Isn't that interesting? It's written down.
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So not only is Jeremiah speaking it, but it's also written down
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so people know about this. It is not, you know, a surprise
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judgement from God. This is something they are aware
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of, says they themselves will be enslaved by many nations with
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great kings. I will repay them according to
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their deeds and the work of their hands.
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So God brings about justice, even though it may seem harsh,
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we have to trust God that this is just, this is what it was
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called for. Now this one's called the cup of
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God's wrath. This is what the Lord, the God
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of Israel said to me. Take from my hand this cup
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filled with the wine of my wrath, and make all the nations
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to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will
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stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among
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them. So I took the cup from the
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Lord's hand, and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink
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it. Jerusalem and the towns of
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Judah, its kings and officials to make them a rune and an
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object of horror and scorn, a curse as they are today.
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So could this anti-Semitism that we're seeing today also be part
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of that, You know, the ones who have rejected God and, and this
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is kind of a part of the, you know, making them a scorn as
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they are today, an object of horror and scorn.
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Pharaoh, king of Egypt, his attendance, his officials and
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all his people and all the foreign people there, all the
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kings of Ouz, all the kings of the Philistines.
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Now we're talking about Gaza, those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron,
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and the people left at Ashdod, Edom, Moab and Ammon.
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That's part of Jordan right there, and the kings of Tyre and
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Saidon. Now we're talking about Lebanon,
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the kings of the coastlands across the sea.
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And that's Didon, Tima and booze.
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And I believe Didan is Saudi Arabia, Tima and Buz.
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I'm not really sure. I didn't look that up first.
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And all those who are in distant places, all the kings of Arabia
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and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the
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wilderness, all the kings of Zimri, Elam and media, that's
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Iran. That's modern day Iran and all
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the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other, all
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the kingdoms on the face of the earth.
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Now this gets broadened out to everyone after all of them.
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The king of Sheshak will drink it too.
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Sheshak is another name for Babylon.
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So again, this is that spiritual Babylon.
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And I believe that this is what, you know, mystery Babylon.
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So there was a literal Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
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but then there was, you know, it says after all of these, then
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the king of Sheshach will drink it too.
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Then tell them this is what the Lord Almighty the God of Israel
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says, drink, get drunk and vomit and fall to rise no more because
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of the sword I will send among you.
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So sword is war. So these are there's going to be
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war that's going to accomplish all of what this is what he is
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saying. But if they refuse to take the
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cup from your hand and drink it, tell them this is what the Lord
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says. You must drink it.
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See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears
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my name. And you will indeed.
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Let's see. And will you indeed go
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unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for
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I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares
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the Lord Almighty. Now prophecy, all these words
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again to them, and say and say to them.
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The Lord will roar from on high. He will Thunder from His holy
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dwelling, and a roar mightily and roar mightily against the
30:06
land. He will shout like those who
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tread grapes, shout against all who live on the earth.
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The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth.
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For the Lord will bring charges against the nations.
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He will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to
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the sword, declares the Lord. This made me think about Jesus's
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return. So the Lord is, you know, Jesus
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is compared to like a roaring lion, and he is going to be
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coming from the heavenly realms. The Lord will roar from on high.
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He will Thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily
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against his land. When Jesus returns, he's coming
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to Jerusalem. Then it says he will shout like
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those who tread the grapes. There's the treading of grapes
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is the wrath of God. When Jesus returns, the the
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wrath of God is going to be accomplished on all nations.
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It will be, and it is described as treading the winepress in the
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Book of Revelation and it talks about how there's going to be
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blood flowing. I mean, this is going to be
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very, very brutal. You know, everybody talks about,
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well, there's a, you know, a wrathful God of the Old
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Testament, but the New Testament is a loving God.
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Well, it's the same God. And God is love.
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And when Jesus returns, I guess some the people who think that
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Jesus is just all love and turn the other cheek are going to
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really be shocked when they see Jesus in his warrior mode
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because that's how he's coming back.
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And again, we've been warned through the Bible about this
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day. We'll be coming to all of us.
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And here Jeremiah and you know what, 500 BC or 600 BC had this
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written down. And this is, you know, God is
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the same yesterday, today, and forever.
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He does not change and he's not doing it to be mean.
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He's doing it for justice purposes and doing it to to rid
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of evil because he has an ultimate plan of a Kingdom where
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only good prevails. And we don't even have the
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slightest. We just have like a slightest
32:36
glimpse of what the future will hold.
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Some of it I think is told in Ezekiel and and then some of it
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is in the Book of Revelation, the last couple chapters of the
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Book of Revelation. That's the small glimpse that we
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have to what this is going, the life after, after the evil is
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purged, what it's going, you know what it's going to be like.
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It will be restored by Jesus and Jesus will be king of all the
33:06
earth and people will travel to Jerusalem and people will
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celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles every year.
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And if they don't, it's not going to rain for people.
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So there's a lot found, a lot a little found in the Bible about
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what the future holds. So this is what the Lord
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Almighty says. Look, disaster is spreading from
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nation to nation. That's interesting too, because
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Jesus warns, you know, there will be wars and rumors of wars
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and we aren't we seeing this? I mean, I look back on what was
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it 2022 when Russia and Ukraine started it?
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And so they, they have this battle going on.
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Then all of a sudden we have the Hamas and Israel of October 7th,
33:51
2023 and then we have lots of different threats and different
33:57
nations talking about alliances and beefing up their nuclear
34:05
resources and powers and doing test, you know, test of their
34:10
missiles and things like that. Everyone seems to be in a
34:14
preparation for a war, but yet at the same time there's an
34:19
expansion of the Abraham Accords that's talking about peace among
34:23
all these nations. And we have to remember what
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Scripture says that even if there is peace, it's going to be
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short lived because when they say peace and security, then
34:34
comes sudden destruction. And Jesus said there will be war
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and rumors of war all the way until the end.
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So we're not going to be in this time of peace until Jesus
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returns. So it sounds like there's war
34:49
after war. And that's kind of what we're
34:50
seeing right now. And I'm, you know, you know,
34:55
fortunately for the majority of my life, I did not live in a
34:58
time of warfare. But like, you know, other
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generations prior to me have lived during, you know, the wars
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like World War One, World War 2. And, and so are we approaching
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another one? And according to Bible prophecy,
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at some point in the future, there will be another one
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because there's going to be a large devastation.
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And just what Jeremiah's talking about is, you know, the that
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this is going to come on the whole world and he's talking
35:34
about a sword and the sword is war.
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So we do have a third World War that's coming.
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And the only preparation that we could either there's nothing
35:46
that you're going to be able to do to avoid it because Bible
35:50
prophecy says this is kind of necessary to accomplish God's
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will because of unrepentance. So the way we could stop it, our
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pause it, it'll eventually come sometime, But the way we could
36:04
pause it is if everyone repented and turned towards the one true
36:09
God. Now that's a monumental task
36:12
that I don't know that we'll see all over the world.
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But those who do, there will be blessings.
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There will be protection from God.
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Maybe not our we might, you know, go, you know, to our next
36:27
realm during that war. But, you know, to be absent from
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the body is to be present with Christ.
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And if it's, it would be before Christ returns.
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So when Christ returns, we're going to have new bodies.
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All those who died in Christ, all those who died as believers
36:48
are going to receive their immortal bodies.
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And then we'll come back with Jesus and reign with him.
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Like he'll have certain tasks for those who were believers
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that they will be, you know, part of his Kingdom.
37:04
And that's, you know, what a great honor to be able to do
37:08
that. So if we lose our life, he says
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you will gain it. And, and we will.
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I mean, that's the truth that's in the Bible.
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So we don't have to fear death, we just know that that's a
37:19
transition to an eternal immortal life that we will have.
37:25
So look, disaster is spreading from nation to nation.
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A mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth.
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At that time, those slain by the Lord will be everywhere from one
37:41
end of earth to the other. So this sounds to me like the
37:46
wrath of God. It sounds to me that they will,
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you know, this is not from one end of the earth to the other.
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They will be by slain by the Lord everywhere.
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This I think is what happens after Jesus returns.
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They will not be mourned or gathered up.
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That's interesting too because God gathers remember like as
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part of this the the believers like if you want to avoid this,
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which I really don't like using it as an escape, but the Bible
38:21
does say there is somewhat of an escape.
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When Jesus returns, he's going to gather up his people who are,
38:30
who remain. So those I guess, who didn't
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perish during the war, and they will change, have their immortal
38:40
bodies. And but these ones who are
38:43
unrepentant, they're not going to be mourned or gathered up or
38:46
buried, but they will be like dung lying on the ground.
38:50
Weep and wail, you shepherds roll in the dust, you leaders of
38:54
the flock, for your time to be slaughtered has come.
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You will fall like the best of the Rams.
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The shepherds will have nowhere to flee, the leaders of the
39:06
flock no place to escape again. This is something that what it
39:13
talks about, that people will, when they see the Lord
39:16
returning, this is in the Book of Revelation, that they will
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say fall on us, you know, don't let them see us.
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And they will try to hide in caves and places, but that's not
39:25
going to work with God. God knows where everyone is.
39:29
God is omnipresent. Nothing that we do in secret is
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hidden from God. We can't run from God.
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There's nowhere we can hide. We a bunker's not going to work.
39:42
God sees and knows where everyone is and he will pursue
39:47
and it says, you know, like his his choices of pursuit of people
39:52
in wrath. It's sword, famine, plague, and
39:58
that leads to death. So what do you escape with?
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Nobody's going to ride the storm out when when Jesus returns.
40:06
This is going to be the true reckoning, the thing that people
40:09
just don't want to acknowledge. Now again, just think about all
40:13
these pastors, preachers, other people, regular people who say
40:18
the same things like Jeremiah, like repent, turn to God, get
40:22
your relationship right with God because if you don't, these are
40:26
the things that are going to happen.
40:27
People, even the pastors and priests and teachers and
40:31
preachers and all of them who are misleading people,
40:35
especially the ones probably who are saying, oh, everything's
40:37
going to go well with you. Just like they were listening to
40:41
those prophets who are prophesying by Baal saying
40:44
everything was good, the Lord's never going to do anything to
40:46
you. Well, that's not what Scripture
40:49
tells us. And so today we even have to
40:54
keep that in mind and, and especially the priests and
40:58
preachers and all them who, you know, if they are not living, if
41:02
they're being a hypocrite and they're living contrary to what
41:06
the word says, but telling all their congregation, this is how
41:08
you need to live. But they're not doing it
41:10
themselves. They better wake up before Jesus
41:14
returns because they're going to be among these people.
41:18
So hear the cry of the shepherds.
41:19
Those are the leaders, the wailing of the leaders of the
41:22
flock, for the Lord is destroying their pasture.
41:27
The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce
41:31
anger of the Lord. Like a lion, he will leave his
41:35
lair and their land will become desolate because of the sword of
41:41
the oppressor and because of the Lord's fierce anger.
41:46
So it sounds here like the Land's going to be desolate
41:50
because of war the the sword, and it's the sword of the
41:54
oppressor. So God's using somebody to do it
41:57
and because of God's fierce anger.
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So again, God can use evil people to accomplish His will,
42:05
His judgement on unrepentant people.
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So that's the end of chapter 25. I'm going to read the remaining
42:13
questions and answers that I didn't cover and then we will
42:18
wrap this up. So, So who were the peoples of
42:22
the north? Babylon along with her allies.
42:24
Although Babylon was actually located east of Judah, the
42:28
normal military route from Babylon to Judah was not on a
42:31
straight east West line. Instead, the Babylonians had to
42:35
travel around the expanse of Arabian desert that lay between
42:40
Babylon and Judah. The attackers from the east
42:43
would therefore enter Judah from the north.
42:46
Why did God call a Pagan king his servant?
42:50
This is again like God can use evil people for His will.
42:54
The time had come to punish Judah and the surrounding
42:57
nations for their wickedness. God chose Nebuchadnezzar and the
43:02
Babylonians as His servants to execute this punishment.
43:07
They were neither more righteous nor more deserving than the
43:10
other nations, but they were used by God to affect His
43:14
purposes. God's choices may sometimes be
43:18
surprising and perplexing, but we can be sure that they are
43:26
always right. Why would the captivity last 70
43:32
years? Some suggest that God chose 70
43:39
years of captivity because that was a person's normal lifespan.
43:45
A generation of Jews spent a lifetime in exile as punishment
43:50
for their sins of their fathers. Others say the time represented
43:54
the number of Sabbath years during which the Israelites had
43:59
not permitted the land to rest. The first captives were taken
44:03
from Jerusalem in six O 5 BC, and the first Jews returned to
44:08
Babylon are returned from Babylon in 538 BC.
44:14
Others count the time from 586 BC when the temple was
44:19
destroyed, to 516 BC when Zerubbabel's temple was
44:26
finished. How could Jeremiah force them to
44:31
drink God's wrath? Experiencing God's judgement is
44:35
often compared to becoming drunk on strong wine.
44:39
So this is a figurative way of saying that Jeremiah brought the
44:44
message of divine judgement to the nations.
44:49
Why say Shishak instead of Babylon?
44:53
It's not entirely clear. Some have suggested that
44:57
Jeremiah felt it prudent to disguise his prediction that
45:02
Babylon would one day suffer the same fate as the other nations.
45:06
Other cryptograms can be found referenced also in chapter 51.
45:13
Why did those who tread the grapes shout?
45:16
Usually those who were treading the grapes were in a mood to
45:20
celebrate. They shouted for joy because of
45:23
the harvest. The ruckus made at such a glad
45:26
occasion is here compared to the war cry God would shout when He
45:31
trampled the wicked nations of the world.
45:34
The noise of those treading the grapes, not their mood, is the
45:38
focus of the metaphor. This what?
45:43
What disaster was being unleashed?
45:46
This is a reference to the Babylonians, who would move
45:49
through the land with swift destruction, overpowering the
45:53
nation's be to become the leading world power.
45:59
The destruction caused by this army would be overwhelming, but
46:04
it would ultimately be the Lord's doing.
46:08
What does that time refer to? The time when God would use the
46:11
Babylons as an instrument of destruction.
46:14
This prophecy was fulfilled in Jeremiah's lifetime, though it
46:19
may have future implications as well.
46:22
Several Old Testament prophets referred to God's final
46:26
judgement on wickedness as the day of the Lord.
46:30
So the study Bible agrees that this is also about the final age
46:35
and the future that we have not yet seen.
46:39
So that concludes chap the 2, chapters 24 and 25 and hope you
46:46
come back for chapter 26.