FROM THE DAYS OF JEREMIAH TO THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

The application of the next verses in Jeremiah seem to reference times that span from Jeremiah’s time to the Millennial Kingdom.

Jeremiah 50:16–20 “….Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead. In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.”

This section of verses starts out making reference to how Assyria had taken captives of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Nebuchadnezzar had completed the destruction of the nation by taking those in the Southern Kingdom captive. This had resulted in the people of Israel being scattered throughout the nations. God declares that Babylon and its king would be punished for their actions against the Jews just as Assyria and its king had been punished.

The death of Sennacherib, the king that took Northern Israel captive, is recorded in 2Kings.

2 Kings 19:36–37 “So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.”

Maybe the death of Belshazzar as recorded in Daniel 5 is the fulfillment of this part of the prophecy.

Daniel 5:30–31 “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.”

Interestingly enough, Assyria had been conquered by Babylon and Babylon would be conquered by the Medes and Persians. Again, though vessels of judgment in the hand of the LORD, they are acting in accordance with their own desires and choices. They are still accountable for those choices. It’s an example of God formulating His plan by incorporating the choices of men according to His amazing foreknowledge.

God’s omniscience is truly an amazing aspect of His character. He knew everything before He created anything. He knows each person He creates intimately and is aware of every choice they will make in a given set of circumstances. God sovereignly chose to give man the freedom of choice. I believe that choice was predicated on the truth that love is not love unless freely given, and He wanted a love relationship with us. Yes, He knew that man would sin; but sin actually resulted in man being able to understand God’s love to its fullest extent. Through His foreknowledge, I believe He chose to put people in place at certain times in history so as to accomplish His purposes. He never causes man to act against His own desires; and because of that fact, man is still accountable for those things done as instruments of God’s judgment. Obviously, I am trying to express a truth that I can’t really completely comprehend because of my limited understanding. In my mind, however, this truth is one of the greatest evidences of the greatness of our God. If I could completely understand Him, He wouldn’t be God.

Isaiah 55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Note that Jeremiah is speaking of a time when the sins of the whole nation of Israel have been completely forgiven. It will be a time of prosperity and peace like never before in Israel’s history. The clear implication is that this time of redemption will be according to God’s mercy and grace. The Hebrew for those “reserved” is a direct reference to the “remnant” that God has promised to reserve and establish under the New Covenant in fellowship with Him. These prosperous times were also foretold by Isaiah and Ezekiel.

Isaiah 65:9–10 “And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.”

Ezekiel 34:13–14 “And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.”

(to be continued)